HUGHES, Stanley Victor
| Service Number: | 461 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 34th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | North Waratah, New South Wales, Australia, 22 July 1893 |
| Home Town: | Mayfield, Waratah, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Waratah Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Bus Proprietor & mixed business owner. |
| Died: | Toronto, New South Wales, Australia, 26 August 1959, aged 66 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Sandgate General Cemetery, Newcastle, NSW |
| Memorials: | Mayfield Public School Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 461, 34th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 461, 34th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 2 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 461, 34th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Sydney | |
| 1 Nov 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal | |
| 12 Jun 1919: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 34th Infantry Battalion |
Wounded
Stan was wounded twice while serving in France. He survived the war and went home to marry, became a bus driver in Newcastle NSW.
His brother William sadly did not survive and in buried at Ebblinghem War Cemetary, France.
Stands older brother Arthur was captured by the Germans in 1916 and was held at Dulmen POW camp in Germany.
Submitted 17 December 2022 by Brad Hughes
Biography contributed by Brad Hughes
My grandfather Stan Hyghes was a very modest man. My father (Stan's only child) describes him as a very kind and gentle person.
Stan was the fifth of 11 children to a well known Ash Island (Newcastle) family of watermen, farmers & businessmen. All the sons became excellent skullers in their day.
Stan enlisted as he saw it was his 'duty'. Besides Stan, four of his brothers also enlisted, all in different companies. The second eldest son William paid the supreme sacrifice and is buried at Ebblinghem War Cemetary, France.
Stan was wounded on three occasions while in France. His service record shows that he was 'solid' in his service without being the model soldier.
Stan returned to Newcastle (1919) after the war and married my grandmother in 1924. He went on to purchase a series of buses that serviced the Mayfield to Newcastle route. I always recall my grandmother telling me the bus service in those days had a VERY strict timetable. Being late even by the odd couple of minutes resulted in financial penalty.
My father also told me of the pride he felt, as a school boy, riding up with his Dad at the front of the bus.
Stan untimately sold up his buses as the privateers were forced out of the bus routes by the introduction of the government buses. He did try his hand at bus charters - during this time he took a party to the shores of Lake Macquarie at Toronto. He loved the area so much that he purchased a block of land in Renwick St. Along with his brother in law, Stan later built the family home there.
After selling the buses Stan & my grandmother Gladys, purchased a mixed business (aka corner store) on Maitland Rd Mayfield area (the shop is now a coffee shop) at the Tighes Hill railway overpass.
My grandparents ran this store until Stan built his home in Toronto and then retired in the late 1940s. The home was so advanced for it's day that it was photographed and featured in Australian Home Beautiful. Stan also developed a prize winning garden that was much admired in it's day.
Stan became increasingly unwell in the late 50s. He lived long enough to see my arrival in March 1959 but a ruptured aortic aneurysm in the August of 1959 caused his death.
Although I don't have any recollections of my grandfather (Gramps) he became known to me through family stories as a very kind and caring gentleman who worked hard for his family and to provide them with a good life. One these terms he had a very successful life.
Rest easy Gramps
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