John Lawrence Hughes – Royal Flying Corps, 25th Squadron

Lieutenant John Lawrence Hughes – Royal Flying Corps, 25^th Squadron

Birth and Family Background

John Lawrence Hughes was born in 1893 in Swansea. He was the son of William Rogers Hughes and Margaret Hughes, both natives of Carmarthenshire.

Early Life

1901 Census

John Lawrence Hughes appears in the 1901 Census, the only census return on which he is recorded. At that time, the family were residing at 178 St Helens Road, Swansea. William R. Hughes (46) was employed as a commercial traveller, while Margaret Hughes (40) undertook household duties.

The children present in the household were Ronald C. Hughes (20), an electrical engineer; Blodwen M. (18); Violet E. (15); Vincent W. (12); and John L. (18). Also living with the family was a domestic servant, Eleanor Lloyd (19).

Military Service

John Lawrence Hughes served as a Lieutenant with the Royal Flying Corps, flying as an observer with 25^th Squadron. Observers undertook critical duties including navigation, reconnaissance, bomb-aiming, and defensive gunnery, frequently operating under heavy enemy opposition during missions over the Western Front.

Operational Context – 1^st October 1917

On 1^st October 1917, 25^th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps was actively engaged in bombing and reconnaissance operations over the Western Front. This period coincided with the latter stages of the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), when British air units were under intense pressure to support ground operations through bombing raids, artillery observation, and photographic reconnaissance.

Bombing missions during this phase of the war were particularly hazardous. Aircraft often operated deep over enemy-held territory, frequently at relatively low altitudes, which left them highly vulnerable to enemy fighter interception and ground-based anti-aircraft fire.

The Mission and Loss

Lieutenant John Lawrence Hughes, serving as an observer, was returning from a bombing raid when the aircraft in which he was flying was brought down. As an observer, his responsibilities included navigation, bomb-aiming, and defensive gunnery, roles that placed him at considerable risk throughout the sortie.

South Wales Daily Post 

A report published in the South Wales Daily Post confirms that Lieutenant Hughes and his pilot were killed in action, indicating that the aircraft was destroyed during combat rather than forced down due to mechanical failure. The absence of any record of survival, together with his burial in a military cemetery, suggests that the aircraft crashed within or close to Allied lines, allowing the recovery and burial of the crew.

Death and Burial

Lieutenant John Lawrence Hughes was killed in action on 1^st October 1917. He is buried at Lapugnoy Military Cemetery, where he is commemorated among other airmen who lost their lives during the intense aerial fighting of 1917.

His death reflects the extreme dangers faced by Royal Flying Corps aircrew during one of the most costly periods of the First World War air war