Noel Hudson

Noel Baring Hudson DSO MC (18 December 1893 – 5 October 1970) was an Anglican bishop who served at Labuan and Sarawak, St Albans, Newcastle and Ely.

For consistent gallantry and able leadership, particularly on 8 August 1918, south of Morlancourt, when he personally led his battalion forward to the attack through heavy fog and intense shell and machine gun fire.

In spite of this, he rushed two other machine guns which were holding up the advance, and continued to lead his battalion forward until he was again seriously wounded by machine-gun fire in three places.

In 1919, having recovered from war wounds, he was captain of Harlequins but again failed to gain a coveted Blue despite appearing regularly in the XV.

The diocese covered an area as large as the UK, but travelling was tortuous, by launch, canoe and on foot along jungle paths in tropical heat.

Hudson's main task was to unite the work of the Mission Stations in the diocese at which he had some success[6] In 1938 he was recalled to become secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

Hudson's translation to Ely was an example of a misfiring appointments process in which the Prime Minister and his patronage secretary had the key role.

The new patronage secretary had discovered disharmony in Ely between the cathedral and the late bishop and concluded that a commander-in-chief figure was needed to resolve the problems.

Extremely shy by nature, 'he sought to hide this fact behind a boisterous bonhomie which was sometimes misunderstood'[9] This was worsened by the return of pain from war wounds and increasing deafness.