Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

ROLAND HARRY HUGHES, son of Mr. H. Hughes, of the Bank of Adelaide, Kapunda, and Mrs. Hughes, was born at Morgan, South Australia, on 15th September, 1893. He was educated at the Public School, Mount Pleasant, and Muirden College, Adelaide, and entered the service of the Bank on 16th June, 1910, at Adelaide. He was transferred in April, 1911, to Broken Hill.

He enlisted on the 15th February, 1915, and embarked three months later, joining the 27th Battalion. Roland Hughes was promoted in the field to the rank of lieutenant on 24th October, 1917.

He returned to Australia and was discharged in August, 1919.

Source - Bank of NSW Roll of Honour

Surname: HUGHES; Given Names: Roland Harry; Date of Birth: 15 September 1893; Date of Enlistment: 15 February 1915; Trade or Calling: Bank Clerk; Birth Location: Morgan; Address prior to enlistment: Broken Hill (Bank of NSW); Photograph sent by: Mrs H Hughes
Source: State Records SA

Information from Bank of New South Wales Roll of Honour and Service Papers:

Roland Harry Hughes began working at the Bank of NSW at Adelaide on the 16th of June, 1910, aged 17 years old. He was transferred to the Bank of NSW in Broken Hill in April, 1911.

Roland enlisted at Keswick on the 15th of February 1915.

He embarked at Adelaide on HMAT Geelong (A2) on 31st of May, 1915 with 'D' Company of the 27th Battalion. The 27th Battalion landed at Gallipoli on the 12th of September, 1915. 

Roland Hughes served at Gallipoli and after having been on the Peninsula for 16 days he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He remained on Gallipoli for the rest of the campaign and by early January 1916 he had been withdrawn to Egypt. After the AIF had undergone its 'doubling' Hughes embarked for Marseilles on the 15th of March, 1916 and landed there on the 21st of March.

In early June, he took out ten days leaves which he spent in England before returning to the 27th Battalion in France on the 16th of June, 1916. Taking ill the same day he spent 3 days in hospital with a foot condition.

Then in August, the 27th Battalion faced its first harsh engagement on the Western Front at Pozieres. Hughes was Wounded in Action on the 5th of August with a gunshot wound to his left leg. Been quite severe at the time he was evacuated to England for further treatment, however, the wound was only recorded as slight when he reached hospital. Still, he stayed in hospital until November, 1916. 

On the 1st of December, 1916 he was detached as a Training Cadre (a trained serviceman that is used to train other new servicemen) at Rollestone in the Salisbury Plains. In April, 1917 he was promoted to the rank of Company Sergeant Major and was detached as a permanent Cadre to the 7th Training Battalion. On the 23rd of July, 1917 he was reverted back to the rank of Sergeant and proceeded overseas to re-join the 27th Battalion. Hughes did so on the 31st July, 1917.

Then in Belgium on the 24th of October, 1917 he was commissioned in the field with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. On the 1st of March, 1918 he was again promoted to rank Lieutenant. He took ill soon after on the 24th of March and was in hospital for two months before joining the 27th Battalion again.  

In October, 1918 Hughes took out leave to England and he returned in early November. He took ill several more times between December, 1918 and mid 1919 whilst still over in France and England.

Hughes returned to Australia in August, 1919 and was officially discharged from the AIF with the rank of Lieutenant on the 28th of August, 1919.

19114/15 Star: 6038

British War Medal: 3620

Victory Medal: 3579

Nathan Rohrlach.