WW1 Victory Medal – 2nd Captain W.H. Hudspeth MBE, Chinese Labour Corps – A missionary who was held by the Japanese Kempei Tai and tortured during WW2

A first world war single Victory medal to 2nd Captain William Harrison Hudspeth MBE, Chinese Labour Corps. A Missionary who was held by the Japanese Kempei Tai and tortured during WW2. 

WW1 Victory Medal named to Capt. W.H. Hudspeth. 

William Harrison Hudspeth (1887-1976) was born at Willington, Co. Durham and was trained for
the Methodist New Connection ministry at Ranmoor College. In 1909 he traveled to China as a
junior colleague of the missionary Samuel Pollard. He returned to Europe after several years and
saw service as a Commissioned Interpreter in France with the Chinese Labour Corps (1917-18)
during World War 1 (Awarded the Chinese Order of Wen-Hu 5th Class (1920) and Mention in
Despatches 8th November 1918) before going up to Cambridge University to study Oriental
Languages and Anthropology (Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute) . After graduation he
returned to China to work among the Montagnard Miao people and native Chinese, acting for
many years as the Secretary of the British and Foreign Bible Society. In 1939 nearly five million
copies of the Bible were distributed in China, largely through his efforts.

During World War 2 Hudspeth suffered interment by the Japanese and detained in the cells of the
Headquarters of the Shanghai Kempei Tai at the Bridge House
Hong Kong war crimes trials (WO235/1117) 1948
“In that he at Shanghai between 1st September, 1942, and 30th November, 1942, Sergeant Major
Yokohata Toshiro as a Sergeant in the Shanghai Kempei Tai, was, in violation of the Laws and
Usages of War, concerned in the ill-treatment of civilian residents of Shanghai and in particular of
The Reverend W.E. Hudspeth (others noted) detained in the cells of the Headquarters of the
Shanghai Kempei Tai at the Bridge House, causing them all physical suffering” (Bridge House
being noted as Kempei Tai’s most extensive torture chambers in Shanghai (The Doolittle flyers
were interned here).
The Accused was a Sergeant Major, attached to the Legal Section of the Northern Branch section
of the Shanghai Kempei Tai. He worked at Bridge House, which was a place of detention for
civilian residents who had been arrested by the Kempei Tai on suspicion of being agents of the
Allies (espionage).

The Shanghai Kempei Tai was assigned to extract confessions from the detainees. The members
were under pressure from their superiors to produce evidence of espionage. The Judge Advocate,
in reviewing the case, submitted that “it appears that the authorities were not concerned as to
whether in fact those individuals were guilty of espionage so long as they were able to satisfy their
superiors by the production of an admission of guilt. The methods employed in extracting these
“confessions” from people who were mostly innocent” included including “water torture”,
hanging, thrusting spikes under the fingernails, burning, beating and electrical shocks.

He was awarded the MBE in 1946 for services to fellow prisoners whilst interned by the Japanese.

The KING has been graciously pleased to give orders for the following appointments to the Most
Excellent Order of the British Empire, for the following awards of the British Empire Medal and for
the publication in the London Gazette of the names of the persons specially shown -below as
having received an expression of Commendation for their brave conduct.

To be Additional Members of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
William Harrison HUDSPETH, Missionary, British and Foreign Bible Society, Shanghai

After liberation was briefly involved in the War crimes trial of the Shanghai Kempei Tai before he
went to Canada as the Bible Societies representative.

He retired to England in 1953 and Died in 1976 aged 88 in Bromley Kent. 

Comes with some research.