Hughes was born 30 May 1885 in Corravoo near
Castleblayney,
County Monaghan. He moved to England in 1910 and lived at
Hednesford,
Staffordshire while he worked as a stable hand, and on a coal wharf at
Cannock before enlisting in the army in November 1914. He was 31 years old, and a
private in the 6th Battalion,
The Connaught Rangers,
British Army during the
First World War when he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his action which took place during the
Battle of the Somme. On 3 September 1916 at
Guillemont,
France, Private Hughes was wounded in an attack but returned at once to the firing line after having his wounds dressed. Later, seeing a hostile machine-gun, he dashed out in front of his company, shot the gunner and, single-handed, captured the gun. Though again wounded, he brought back three or four prisoners. He later achieved the rank of
corporal. His wounds left him with difficulty walking and led to his being invalided out of the army in February 1918. His Victoria Cross is held by the
National Army Museum,
Chelsea, London. ==References==