01/08/2026
It was an absolute privilege to meet Lance yesterday, son of Brigadier ‘Eddie’ (Dante Edward Pemberton) Hodgson.
As a Lieutenant Colonel, his father commanded 3Bn from late December 1942 to July 1943 throughout their campaign in . The battle honours of and , borne on the regimental colours, were won under his command.
He assumed command of 3Bn just weeks after the fateful events at in early December 1942 that saw the almost complete destruction of the 2nd Hampshires of 1st Guards Brigade (see the article on my blog).
Within a fortnight of taking over, 3Bn was sent for to replace the 2nd Hampshires in Tunisia. He was ordered to mobilise 3Bn, at pace, for . Despite a very new command team (CO, 2iC, Adjt and RSM), and conflicting and confusing instructions from the War Office and district commands, by 16 February 1943 3Bn had arrived in theatre.
Following the end of the battalion’s campaign in Tunisia, as a career staff officer he served alongside, his friend, General Keightley as GSO1 of 6th Armoured Division and later as GSO1 of the 78th ‘Battle-Axe’ Infantry Division throughout the . In addition to his significant operational achievements, he made an equally significant contribution to capturing the lessons of the Tunisian Campaign and then putting them into practice by implementing training changes to improve combat effectiveness and efficiency in 6th Armoured and the 78th Division.
Lance and I connected via a stroke of luck and the power of social media, following a post he shared about his father’s medals. That post appeared in my own social media feed after being liked by friends with an interest in the Welsh Guards during . A short comment, a reply, and a phone call later, Lance mentioned that he would soon be holidaying in the Gower, near my home, which culminated in our meeting yesterday.
Lance knew little of his father’s service with 3Bn, and it was a privilege to be able to give a short presentation outlining both his father’s and the battalion’s role in Tunisia. In addition, I was able to provide Lance with copies of photographs, letters and documents that he had never seen before, including his father’s personal day-by-day diary kept during the campaign! The latter gives the family an incredibly detailed and personal account of ‘his’ war in Tunisia.
Lance also gave me a large collection of documents which will undoubtedly add significant richness to the narrative of my forthcoming book, . I was also able to give Lance with a copy of the 12 February 1972 edition of the comic, which recounted his father’s role at Fondouk on 9 April 1943.
An incredible day, and an ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE to have been able to meet Lance and provide him with additional information and detail about his father’s service with 3Bn.
As a noteworthy aside, I’m incredibly honoured and grateful to have now met the families of three of the five COs who led 3Bn during their campaigns in North Africa and Italy.
Diolch o’r galon,
🏴💂🇹🇳🇮🇹
