Peter Wise and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
John William was born at Darlington on November 25th 1893 then baptised a few weeks later at St Hilda’s December 17th 1893. He was the son of John Robinson Hughes (died 1917) and his wife Sarah Annie (nee Brown) who married in 1893. The couple had 5 children together who all survived childhood.
In 1901 the family were living at 45 Hurworth Terrace, Darlington. John’s father had his own business as a fish curer. In later years his mother worked as a fish dealer.
John’s siblings were Sarah, Thomas, Lena and another daughter, Mary was born later and is shown on the 1911 census.
By 1911 John is living as a boarder with his grandfather. He is now an apprentice tailor at Barnard Castle.
He enlisted soon after the war began in September 1914 into the Universities and Public School Battalion. He received his commission in 1916. He was posted to 2nd Battalion Duke of Wellington’s West Riding regiment.
John was killed in action on April 15th 1918 during the Spring Offensive of that year.
In letters to his mother, his fellow officers described how ‘he died leading his men into battle like the very gallant Englishman that he always was. He was hit by a bullet to the chest and died instantly in absolutely no pain.’
On a previous occasion he had been awarded the Military Cross for his bravery. When German troops invaded their front line John gathered a few men and drove them away with bombs, despite being outnumbered five to one.
He is described as being ‘full of life and never downhearted even under the worst conditions.’ He left £355 to his mother.
John was buried at Chocques Military Cemetery alongside 1702 of his comrades. Inscription :- Though absent you are ever near.
Chocques was occupied by Commonwealth forces from the late autumn of 1914 to the end of the war. The village was at one time the headquarters of I Corps and from January 1915 to April 1918, No.1 Casualty Clearing Station was posted there. Most of the burials from this period are of casualties who died at the clearing station from wounds received at the Bethune front. From April to September 1918, during the German advance on this front, the burials were carried out by field ambulances, divisions and fighting units.
John Hughes is remembered at Barnard Castle on B135.02, B135.04, B135.20, B135.23 and B135.25and at Darlington on D40.34, D40.49 and D40.67
