Major General George Hudson

George Hudson at the French negotiations 1891

Major General George 'Jolly George' Hudson (12th September 1861 - 19th August 1929) was a British Army Officer and MP who most notably served as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Independent Creosotian Republic from 1886 to 1895. Prior to the formation of the Creosotian Republic he had served in the 67th Regiment of Foot and following the Republics collapse he rejoined the British army as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Manchester regiment. His final military posting was as a field marshal during WWI where he was involved in the defense of British colonial positions.

## Early Life

George Hudson was born on the 12th September 1861 to Reginald Hudson and Alice Hudson (Nee Blakely). His father was a middle-class Mancunian silk and cotton trader however a fire in the family home in early 1868 left the family financially crippled as without appropriate paperwork to prevent the loss of the family business. Subsequently the family ended up poverty stricken and almost in the poorhouse with George often turning to criminal activities to ensure food was on the table due to his families lack of income.

He gradually fell in with the Quayside Boys, a local gang that somewhat terrorized smaller businesses for small amounts of food and petty cash. While records in his mothers diary show he rarely involved himself (and subsequently rarely brought anything home) for his early involvement, the death of his father in 1974 led to an increased involvement ultimately culminating in the robbery that started his military career.

## Early Military Career

George Hudson began his military career when he enlisted in the 67th Regiment of Foot (South Hampshire) following his flight from Manchester after a botched robbery in July 1876 which lead to permanent disabling of a shop owner. Accounts of the robbery vary from Hudson being a mere accomplice keeping watch to him having obtained an old flintlock pistol that misfired during the attempt.

Having joined the army at the age of 15 he was put into the ranks as a private and was deployed to Afghanistan as the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Afghan war. He earned himself promotion to Sergeant at the Siege of Sherpur Cantonment but his most significant achievement was his defense of a fallen Major during the Battle of Kandahar which earnt him a battlefield commission to Ensign.

As a result of the Childers Reforms in 1881 the 67th (South Hampshire) merged with the 37th (North Hampshire) regiment to form the Hampshire Regiment though the overflow of commissioned officers due to the merger led to Hudsons deployment to the Regimental Barracks in Winchester.

The next four years were spent mainly involved in the maintaining of the barracks and Hudson often found himself training new recruits for deployment with the regiment that was primarily stationed in India. By the time George left the army in 1884 he had achieved the rank of Lieutenant.

## Creosotian Independence

Following his departure from the army, George took up work as a clerk for the government in East Sussex which is where he first encountered Jeremiah Creosote who was running for MP in local elections. The two cultivated an intense and deep friendship and would often spend hours in pubs discussing political machinations in London as well as the plight of the working class. It is often speculated that this is where the origins of the Independent Creosotian Republic lie due to the influence of Hudsons working class background on Jeremiah Creosotes upper middle class world-view and ideals.

During this period, George invested the money accrued both from his army back-pay, spoils from battle, and the skimming he had engaged in while working as a quartermaster at the Winchester Barracks. Through this he managed to build an impressive portfolio of investments in small businesses throughout Kent and Sussex. While not much at the time, it quickly grew into a series of profitable endeavors. While this kept him in a comfortable existence and his coffers full, the independence of the Creosote Republic led to a near overnight monopoly, making him one of the richest men in England, let alone the Republic.

With this money, he was able to raise his own military regiment, recognizing that the Republic would need a competent and well-funded military to hold its own.

## Warnings on Fascism and World War Two

Hudson now receives considerable recognition for being an early critic of the Fascist and Communist movements in Europe, spending much of the final years of his life claiming such politics on the continent were only going to lead to another Great War. For this, he received much derision as a 'war monger' during the 1920s, though he was later posthumously vindicated in his views by the 1939 outbreak of war, 10 years after his death.

Hudson first became alarmed by the developments in Italy in 1922 when Mussolini took power, calling it 'a dark day for Europe', and argued fiercely with many of the British fascist sympathisers in academic and government circles. His concerns were heightened greatly upon reading Adolf Hitler's Meine Kampf in 1926, calling it 'a truly squalid little booklet' and Hitler himself, 'an angry little swine'. Writing in multiple newspapers at the time, he predicted that Hitler, or a leader like him, was 'bound to take power eventually'. While ultimately proved correct in his assertions, many dismissed them as based on crude prejudice, not helped by his famous public comment, 'You never can trust the hun.'.

Now in his mid-60s, Hudson used what reputation he had left as a great military expert to call for a 'gradual but forthright and purposeful re-armament'. This included a building up of The Air Force, and a serious effort to mechanise the army, including investment in the development new tanks. The suggestions had little effect on the British establishment, with many of the elite still traumatised from the Great War and no longer carrying any real will to consider another conflict.

Following his death Hudson's opinions increased in support, especially after 1933. A proposed 1934 defence paper nick-named "Hudson's Paper", aimed to bring about his re-armament programme in response to the development of Nazi Germany. While this paper fell through it paved the way for more modest bills that same year which is began a gradual building up of The Royal Air Force. In 2003 military historian Anthony Beevor wrote; "While like most historians one does their best to avoid playing 'alternative history', I think its fair to say that had Hudson's 1928 plan been implemented, Germany would've faced a far more difficult western front in 1940.".

However, Hudson's actions may have been more of an aid to the British WW2 effort than many suppose; his writings were still widely read in the 1920s and inspired much of the anti-fascist mood in Britain, and his unforgettable strength of character also reassured many that figures of Britain's great military past were never far away, and their stubborn fighting spirit could always be called upon should dark times come again.

## The Cotentin Journals and Military Service

While Hudson is well respected within the military communities for his tactical abilities, morale-boosting leadership, and his willingness to slum it with the men, recent explorations into his personal journals has lead to an emerging conversation as to his own personal views on organised military and wars. While previously unknown, it was discovered that his former housekeeper had saved them when a Zeppelin Raid hit his London townhouse, and her grandson had discovered them in their attic in a chest.

His personal journal kept from 1876 when he enlisted in the South Hampshire regiment to 1896 shortly after his show-trial and exile from the Independent Creosote Republic reveals that Hudson, while a competent and able master of the battlefield actually disliked one of the things he was most good at. In numerous entries during and after the First Jeramboah War and during the expansion in Siam he speaks to his sadness at having to fight so hard to keep the ideals of the Republic alive. A notable entry from during the Cotentin Peninsula campaign mentions 'I am forever distraught at the amount of young lives we have laid to rest for eternity for this damned republic. I had hoped that in the Republic we had formed our own Eden, that we might well have avoided the problems of Victoria's Empire and stopped the pouring of British blood upon foreign soil. It appears that we have failed in such a duty to those who gave us this opportunity and that now all I can endeavor to do is stem the flow.

This has sparked considerable debate as to the provenance of this statement amongst others from his journals and diaries. Not only was Hudson a key advocate for British re-armament following World War One, but he was a supporter imperial expansion in the ICR, something that often went hand in hand with war. Many historians argue that while the Contention Entries are true and of Hudson, they are clearly the ramblings of a man shocked by battle and under intense stress and that subsequently they do not represent his views. The main counter to this is that much of his military career came down not to choice but necessity. His escape from the law into the 67th Regiment made him the only experienced man J.E. Creosote trusted to run his military campaign, and he could hardly say no to the man he'd just made his president. When the Republic fell, the only thing he was experienced for was military service. Others argue that military actions such as The Angola Adventure show that he carefully planned military action to minimize risk while maximizing effectiveness and shows of power back up the idea he became increasingly more disgusted with war and its influence both on Britain and the ICR.

The emergence of the journals has also given historians a candid view into the upper echelons of Creosote Republic society, something previously near impossible due to the purges and attempted Coup of Eugene Kempf during the collapse of the ICR.