Wallace Rudd was born on 22 June 1895 in Hoddesden, Ware, Hertfordshire, to Charles Edward and Millham (née Read) Rudd, followed by sister Evelyn Millham (1897). Sadly the father Charles died in the 4Q 1898 and the mother Millham and the two children moved back to the Read family home in Newhaven, Sussex.

Wallace joined the Royal Navy on 15 May 1911 when he crossed the gangway of HMS IMPREGNABLE, the Boy Training Ship in Devonport dockyard, to become a Boy 2c. On 29 January 1912 he was selected and promoted to Boy Tel and on 29 July was drafted to HMS HERCULES. On 6 March 1913 he joined HMS KING GEORGE where he was rated Ord Tel on the 22 June and 4 days later was drafted to HMS VICTORY 1 until 1 October 1913.  After 11 days in HMS VERNON he returned to VICTORY 1 on 12 October until 16 November when he was drafted to HMS MAIDSTONE berthed in Harwich where, on 2 February 1914, he was rated up to Telegraphist (Tel).

On 5 August he returned to Portsmouth and undertook the submariners course in HMS DOLPHIN for 1 month. Then on the 9 September 1915 he had a draft to HMS ADAMANT for HMS E20. In the summer of 1915 the Mediterranean Fleet had been expanded particularly in the Eastern Med. and ADAMANT, with a selection of submarines, was deployed from the UK. E20 arrived on station in July 1915 and almost instantly was sent out on patrols.

E20 was ordered to rendezvous with a French submarine on 6 November 1915 but, due to a security failure, a German submarine UB-14 was waiting instead. One torpedo from around 500 yards slammed into E20 just below the conning tower.  There was a massive explosion and E20 sank very quickly with the loss of 21 of its 30 crew. Only  9 survivors were picked up by UB-14.

So on 6 November 1915, Telegraphist Wallace Henry Rudd, Svc No. J12347 “Crossed The Bar” with 20 of his shipmates. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel 8.