For God and Empire, a Missionary at war

dante · February 3, 2016

Single Victory medal; to Captain William Harrison Hudspeth, Interpreter Chinese Labour Corp 1917-19 and British Methodist Missionary Shanghai,
Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute
Awarded the Order of Wen-Hu 5th Class (1920) and MBE in 1946 for his conduct while interned by the Japanese during WW2

William Harrison Hudspeth (1887-1976) was born at Willington, Co. Durham and was trained for the Methodist New Connexion ministry at Ranmoor College. In 1909 he travelled 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 Haig's, 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. Prolific author on Anthropology and Religious studies.

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