Albert Charles Hughes – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Naval Division
Able Seaman Albert Charles Hughes – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Naval Division
Early Life and Family Background
Albert Charles Hughes was born in 1896 in Swansea,
the son of John Hughes and Sarah Ann Fry, who married in 1892
at St. Lawrence Church, Bristol. He grew up in a working‑class family in
the industrial districts of Swansea, shaped by the rhythm of local metal and
tinplate industries.John Hughes and Sarah Ann Fry
marriage certificate
St. Lawrence Church, Bristol
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| 1901 Census |
The 1901 Census shows the Hughes family living at 19 Hoo Street, St. Thomas, Swansea. John, aged 35 and born in Flintshire, was employed as a Spelterman, a demanding and skilled role within the zinc works. His wife Sarah A., aged 29 and originally from Bristol, was at home caring for their children: Walter, 8; Albert, 3; Lily, 2; and Bertie, aged 1.
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| 1911 Census |
By the time of the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 12 Calland Street, Landore, Swansea. John, now 44, continued working as a Spelterman, while Sarah Ann, aged 39, managed their large household. Living at home were Walter John, 18, employed at the Tinworks; William, 16; Lily May, 14; Albert Charles, 13; Herbert, 11; George Thomas, 8, who attended school; Emily Elizabeth, 3; and Laura, aged 11 months. The census reflects a typical busy industrial family of the Swansea Valley, with older children entering the workforce while the younger ones remained in school or infancy.
Military Service
As a young man, Albert Charles Hughes enlisted in the
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, later serving with the Howe Battalion
of the Royal Naval Division. The Division was composed primarily of
naval reservists who, due to a surplus of naval recruits, were deployed as
infantry on the Western Front. The Howe Battalion saw extensive action
throughout the war and endured severe losses.
Howe Battalion on 26th October 1917
The Howe Battalion took part in the Second Battle of
Passchendaele, which began on 26th October 1917. By this
stage of the war, conditions in Flanders had deteriorated into a nightmarish
landscape of waterlogged trenches, deep mud, and shattered ground. Weeks of
heavy rain and shellfire had transformed the battlefield into a swamp,
rendering movement slow and dangerous.
On that day, the Royal Naval Division launched an attack
toward the village of Passchendaele, aiming to capture key positions along the
ridge. The Howe Battalion advanced under intense machine‑gun fire, often
struggling simply to move forward through the mud. German blockhouses and
fortified strongpoints delivered devastating resistance, inflicting severe
casualties across the Division.
It was in this desperate and chaotic fighting that Able
Seaman Albert Charles Hughes was killed in action. Like many of his
comrades, he fell on ground where bodies were often lost to the mud or
destroyed by artillery, contributing to the large number of men with no
known grave from this phase of the battle.
Death and Commemoration
Able Seaman Albert Charles Hughes was killed in action on
26th October 1917, during the opening day of the final
Passchendaele assault. As his grave was never identified, his name is
commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, West‑Vlaanderen, Belgium — the
largest Commonwealth war memorial in the world, honouring those lost in the
Ypres Salient whose remains could not be recovered.Albert Charles Hughes
Tyne Cot Memorial, West‑Vlaanderen, Belgium
credit - findagrave
Albert Charles Hughes stands among the many young men from Swansea who served in the Royal Naval Division and made the ultimate sacrifice on the Western Front
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