John Hughes

John was born in Killoe in 1881. His family later moved to Great Water Street, Longford. He enlisted in the Rifle Brigade in Longford on 22 March 1897, aged 15 years. He was transferred to the 1st Leinsters on 31 December 1897 and served in it until 1906, including in the Boer War from 1900 until its end in 1902. On leaving the army, he was transferred to the reserve. John immigrated to New York in 1913, but returned to join the army in Liverpool on 22 October 1914. He began on active service in France on 18 January 1915, when the 2nd Leinsters were at Armentieres in northern France. John referred to the death of Sergeant John (Jack) Byrne in a postcard home on 22 March. The 2nd Leinsters were transferred to the Ypres area in early June and remained there until early the next year. John had a poem entitled 'The Red, Red Road to Hooge' published in The Longford Leader on 15 January 1916. However, it was probably not his own work since other versions of it appeared in British newspapers in the same period. He served at the Battle of the Somme in August of that year. He was one of a number of Longford town soldiers sending greetings in a letter published in the Leader on 7 July 1917. He married Anna May Brady, Killoe, on 11 September 1917, while on leave. John was later transferred to the Labour Corps due to having shell-shock. He was discharged in 1919 and was judged to have a 30% disability. He died in 1960. His brother Michael died of wounds, and another brother, Henry, served in the Royal Navy.