1911
MCHUGH, Sidney
| Other Name: | McHugh, Sydney |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 1911 |
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 5th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Quorn, South Australia, Australia, 1 January 1892 |
| Home Town: | Quorn, Flinders Ranges, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Quorn, South Australia, Australia, 20 September 1952, aged 60 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Quorn Cemetery, SA |
| Memorials: | Quorn District Roll of Honor WW1 Board, Quorn Remembrance of Those Who Served in the Great War Honour Board, Quorn Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 1911, 5th Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 1911, 5th Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 1911 |
Help us honour Sidney McHugh's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Kathleen Bambridge
Mr McHugh stood for Federal Parliment for the Burra District in 1923. Sydney was born in Quorn in 1892. He was a Farmer and had lived in the didtrict all his live exepect for the two years he served in the Great War. Sydney took a leading role in the local Literary and Debating Society. His experiences abroad were not lost on him, which allowed him to have a broader international outlook. Earlier he had stood for the State Government Legeslative Council but was defeated. He had a good knowledge of the rural community and it's needs and a sound grounding in economics.
Biography contributed by Trevor Pyatt
Biography of Sydney (Sidney) McHugh (1892–1952)
Early Life
Sydney (often recorded as Sidney) McHugh was born on 21 March 1892 in Quorn, South Australia, the son of Frank McHugh and Julia Ann McHugh. He was raised in the Church of England faith and educated locally before taking up work as a farmer and grazier, a trade that kept him close to the land and rural community of the Flinders Ranges.
Military Service in the First World War
Enlistment
On 16 February 1916, at the age of 23, Sydney enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Petersburg, South Australia. He was given the regimental number 1911 and assigned to the 5th Pioneer Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements.
At enlistment he was described as:
Height: 5 ft 9½ in (176 cm)
Weight: 168 lbs (76 kg)
Chest: 37–39 in
Complexion: Dark
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Occupation: Farmer
Religion: Church of England
His next of kin was listed as his mother, Julia Ann McHugh, of Quorn.
Training and Embarkation
11 April 1916 – Embarked from Adelaide aboard HMAT A60 Aeneas.
15 May 1916 – Disembarked at Suez, Egypt.
21 June 1916 – Disembarked at Marseilles, France, via Ivernia.
24 August 1916 – Joined the 5th Pioneer Battalion at Étaples, France.
Service in France
The 5th Pioneer Battalion combined infantry combat duties with engineering tasks, such as trench digging, building roads, and maintaining defences under fire. Sydney's war was marked by frequent illness and medical challenges, which saw him repeatedly moved between the front line and hospitals.
Major Medical Incidents
Sep–Oct 1916: Hospitalised with a septic knee and later an abscess of the knee.
Oct–Nov 1916: Diagnosed with cellulitis; transferred through several casualty clearing stations.
Mar 1917: Hospitalised with orchitis/mumps, later returned to duty.
Nov 1917: Appointed Driver, then promoted to Lance Corporal.
Late 1917–1918: Suffered recurring illnesses including pyrexia (fever), arthritis, and deformity of the great toe.
Return to Australia and Discharge
7 June 1918: Disembarked in Australia aboard H.T. Suevic.
15 July 1918: Discharged as "Medically Unfit (Not Due to Misconduct)".
Total service: 2 years, 150 days.
Service abroad: 2 years, 58 days.
Medals
Sydney received the standard campaign medals:
1914–15 Star
British War Medal (No. 11177)
Victory Medal (No. 11094)
Commemoration
His service is honoured on:
Quorn District Roll of Honor
Quorn Remembrance of Those Who Served in the Great War Board
Quorn Roll of Honor
South Australian Garden of Remembrance
Marriage and Family
On 14 September 1921, Sydney married Dora Alice Vaughan (1897–1969) at the Church of Christ Chapel, Adelaide. Dora was the daughter of Henry Joseph Vaughan.
The couple made their home in Quorn. Their son, Max McHugh, is remembered on their shared headstone at Quorn Cemetery.
Political Career
State Parliament
Sydney entered the South Australian House of Assembly as a Labor member:
1924–1927: Member for Burra Burra (defeated).
1930–1931: Regained Burra Burra (seat lost after Labor split).
1941–1944: Member for Light (Labor), not re-elected in 1944.
Federal Parliament
In 1938, Sydney achieved national prominence by winning the Wakefield by-election for the House of Representatives following the death of Charles Hawker (UAP).
Despite the seat's conservative history, McHugh achieved a 20% swing against Richard Layton Butler, a former South Australian Premier, thanks to strong preference flows.
He held the seat until the 1940 federal election, when he was defeated by Jack Duncan-Hughes (UAP), former MP for Boothby.
Later Life and Death
After politics, Sydney returned to farming life in Quorn. He remained active in his community and was remembered as both a soldier and public servant who had risen from rural beginnings to serve at the highest levels of state and federal politics.
Sydney McHugh died at Quorn on 20 September 1952, aged 60.
He is buried at Quorn Cemetery, where a polished granite headstone records his memory:
"His goodness was his greatness."
He rests alongside his wife Dora Alice McHugh (1897–1969), aged 72.
Legacy
Sydney McHugh's legacy lies in three areas:
Military Service – Serving in France with the 5th Pioneers, enduring serious illness, and honourably discharged as medically unfit.
Political Service – Represented South Australians in both the House of Assembly and the House of Representatives, remembered for his dramatic by-election victory in 1938.
Community – His name is enshrined on local honour boards and his grave at Quorn stands as a tribute to his life of service.
Biography by Trevor Pyatt 10/09/2025
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