George Ritchie Hodgson SGM (1893 - 1983)

Born 12 Oct 1893 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Ancestors

Died 1 May 1983 at age 89 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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Biography

George Hodgson SGM is Notable.

A Canadian gold medal Olympic swimmer and a decorated World War I veteran

George was born in 1893. He was a son of Thomas Emerson Hodgson, one of five brothers born to Johnathan Hodgson (1827-1914) and Margaret Cassils.^[1] He was a member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. He attended McGill University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in applied science in 1916.^[2]

As a swimmer having had no formal training, he shocked the swimming world when he won the mile event at the 1911 Inter-Empire Championships and was undefeated at the Canadian National Championships from 1910-12.^[3] Of his lack of training he said, "We never had a swimming coach or a training program...We just went there for fun. I only realized I had possibilities when I discovered I could swim faster than everybody else."^[4]

He next represented Canada in swimming at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. ^[5]He won two gold medals at these Olympics, with times of 5:24.4s in the 400-metre and 22:00.0s in the 1500-metre freestyle. He had already set a world record of 22:23.0 in the first round of the race. For the one race he was actually credited with 4 world records, 1000 yards, 1000 metres, 1500 metres and he carried on swimming and broke the 1 mile record as well. He was eighteen at the time. His unprecedented success was widely attributed to his innovation of the trudgen stroke, a hybrid between the front crawl and sidestroke. His Olympic record at 400 metres stood until 1924 when Johnny Weissmuller broke it at Amsterdam. He was Canada's lone swimmer in 1912.^[6] He was Canada's only Olympic gold medal winner in swimming until 1984.^[7] His gold medals were stolen when on loan to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association.^[3]

Hodgson fought in the Great War, commissioned in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) on 18th January 1916 and qualified as a seaplane pilot on 17th May 1916. He piloted flying boats mainly off the coast of England. Flt. Lt. Hodgson, RNAS was mentioned in despatches in Sep 1917.^[8][9]

He was awarded the Great War Air Force Cross, 1917 Sea Gallantry Medal (29th May 1917), British War Medal and Victory Medal.^[3] His Air Force Cross was awarded in Nov 1918 in recognition of valuable flying services performed in their various capacities.^[10] The Sea Gallantry medal was awarded to the 4 members of the seaplane crew who: "on 29 May 1917, these officers and men were flying on a seaplane at a height of 1,200 feet, 40 miles East of Felixstowe, when they sighted an object in the water. They immediately circled and descended, and the object was discovered to be an upturn float with two men on it. Despite the rough sea, they landed their plane on the water close to the float, and on a second attempt succeeded in rescuing the men, an officer and an air mechanic who had been without food and water for 5 ½ days. The plane was so damaged through landing in the heavy sea that it was unable to rise and they, therefore, taxied to the channel 3 miles due south of the Shipwash. By the time they arrived there, the tail of the machine was full of water, but in response to distress signals assistance was obtained and the plane was got to land. Considerable risk was incurred in rendering the services on account of the heavy sea.”^[3][11]

After serving in the Great War, he returned to compete in the 1920 Olympics at Antwerp, Belgium. He swam in both his gold medal events but failed to make the finals.^[2] After six years out of practice he said,"I was happy just to finish the races."^[4]

He worked as an investment dealer with Hodgson, Roberson & Laing, founded in 1928.^[1] He married Edythe Caroline Harrower (1891–1975) in 1923, they had three children. He later married Hilda Birch. He died in 1983 and was buried in Mount Royal Cemetery.^[12][4]

He was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955, the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968, into the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame inaugural induction in 1996.^[2]

His uncles William Cassils "Billy" Hodgson and Archibald Arthur "Archie" Hodgson were prominent athletes with the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association in the 1880s and 1890s, playing both ice hockey and lacrosse with the organization. Archie Hodgson was a member of the first Stanley Cup-winning team in 1893, scoring the winning goal, the same year George Hodgson was born.^[7][1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} William Fong. 2008. "J.W. McConnell: Financier, Philanthropist, Patriot". McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. 733 pages. pp620-621.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} George Hodgson Class of 1916. McGill University's Hall of Fame
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Warwick & Warwick Auctioneers. 11th November 2016. "1912 Olympic Double Gold Medal Winner’s WW1 Gallantry Medals in 14th December Medal Auction"
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Obituary. Swim Canada: Alumni News. "Hodgson Dead at 90". October 1983 (No.96).
5. ↑ https://olympics.com/en/athletes/george-ritchie-hodgson
6. ↑ Youtube. George Hodgson Wins 2 Olympic Golds In 3 Year Career - Stockholm 1912 Olympics.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Wikipedia - George Hodgson
8. ↑ Honours for the Royal Naval Air Service. London Gazette. No 30316. 28 Sep 1917.
9. ↑ The Daily Colonist. Victoria, BC. 4 Oct 1917. p 9. "CHAMPION SWIMMER WINS DISTINCTION". MONTREAL Oct. 3.— Flight-Lieut George Ritchie Hodgson, who has been mentioned-in-despatches, is a son of T. E. Hodgson, of this city (Victoria, BC?), and is the champion swimmer of Canada. He represented the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association at the last Olympic games in Sweden in the summer of 1912, and won the 400 and 1,500 metre events, and at the same time established four world's records that have never since been beaten.
10. ↑ London Gazette. 1 Nov 1918
11. ↑ Life-Saving Rewards. 28 Mar 1918. "Flight International Magazine". No 483 (No 13, Vol X). p 332. The King has been pleased, on the recommendation of the President of the Board of Trade, to award the Silver Medal for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea to Flight Sub-Lieutenant (now Flight Lieutenant) James Lindsay Gordon, RN, Flight Sub-Lieutenant (now Flight Lieutenant) George Ritchie Hodgson, RN, Leading Mechanic (E) Sydney Francis Anderson, and Wireless Telegraphist (A.M.II.) Bertram Harley Millichamp in recognition of their services in rescuing two men from an upturned float in the North Sea on May 29th last.
12. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108299709

See also:

• Wikipedia: George Hodgson
• Wikidata: Item Q1139622, en:Wikipedia