PUGHE, John Alexander
| Service Number: | 2193 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 1st Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Balmain, New South Wales, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Drummoyne, Canada Bay, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Electrical engineer |
| Memorials: | Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Driver, 2193, 1st Field Company Engineers | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1915: | Involvement Driver, 2193, 1st Field Company Engineers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1915: | Embarked Driver, 2193, 1st Field Company Engineers, HMAT Beltana, Sydney |
Help us honour John Alexander Pughe's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
John Alexander Pughe was born in February 1894 in Balmain, New South Wales.¹ Pughe grew up in Drummoyne, NSW. He lived with his mother, Sarah Mary Pughe, and his siblings. Pughe attended Sydney Technical High School, where he achieved high marks in algebra, physics, history, drawing and practical workshops.² Following his education, he worked as an electrical engineer.
Pughe enlisted for the military on the 4th of August 1915 at the Victoria Barracks in Sydney, joining the 1st Field Company Engineers as a driver at the age of 19.¹ He embarked for overseas service on the 9th of November 1915 aboard the HMAT Beltana (A72).⁴ His duties involved transporting personnel, horses and equipment as well as maintaining supply and transport routes, and assisting operations such as trench and road repairs.
Pughe served in major campaigns including the battles of the Somme (1916), Ypres/Passchendaele (1917), and Amiens (1918).⁵ On the 11th of August 1918, near Amiens he sustained a shrapnel wounds to the fingers on his right hand. He was treated at the 59th Casualty Clearing Station, then transferred to the 5th Southern Hospital in Boulogne and later to the UK.¹
Pughe returned to Australia on the 19th of February 1919 and was discharged on the 2nd of June 1919.¹ He married Henrietta Livingston and had two children, Marie Henriette Pughe and Nerida Pughe.⁶ Returning to work as an electrical engineer, Pughe maintained a focus on family and professional responsibilities. While overseas, he sent most of his pay home to support his mother, demonstrating commitment to family even during his military service. Pughe lived in Concord and later Eastwood, Sydney, until his death on the 24th of March 1978 at the old age of 82.⁶ His service is represented on Sydney Technical High School’s dedicated World War One Honour Roll, displaying and preserving his contributions within both his school and the wider historical record.²
The life of John Alexander Pughe illustrates the experiences of young Australians whose skills and family responsibilities shaped their contributions to World War I. From his technical training at Sydney Technical High School to his role as a driver in the 1st Field Company Engineers, Pughe exemplifies reliability, skill and resilience. His service on the Western Front, management of logistical and transport duties, and injury near Amiens show the challenges faced by support personnel. Following the war, Pughe’s return to civilian life, focus on family and continuation of his engineering career demonstrate the lasting influence of wartime experience on personal development, showing how his dedication and technical skill supported the broader Australian war effort and shaped the lives of veterans in the post-war period.⁵
Endnotes
1. National Archives of Australia, Service Record of John Alexander Pughe (2193).
2. Sydney Technical High School, World War I Roll of Honour.
3 . Sydney Morning Herald, 1911, obituary notice of John Pughe (father).
4 .Australian War Memorial, Embarkation Roll: HMAT Beltana (A72), 1915.
5. Australian War Memorial, Unit War Diaries and Western Front campaign histories, 1916–1918.
6. NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages, records of marriage, children, and death of John Alexander Pughe.
Reference list
The Australian War Memorial, n.d.,
James, LS 1915, NAA: B2455, PUGHE JOHN ALEXANDER, 5 August, National Archives of Australia, Parkes, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
.John Alexander PUGHE 2025, Vwma.org.au, viewed 1 September 2025,
.John Alexander Pughe - Ancestry® 2021, Ancestry.com.au, viewed 2 September 2025,
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