Ferdinand Lloyd Hughes was born at Holyhead in Anglesey in 1890 where his father, Lloyd Hughes, was third officer on the Royal Mail Ships on routes to Ireland. His mother was Mary Hughes, originally from Oswestry. He had a younger brother named Reginald. They lived at 7 Mountain View at Holyhead. By 1901 the family had moved to Weymouth where a sister, Nesta, was born. After a few years at Weymouth his father took an appointment as Harbour Master in Lagos, Nigeria. Rather than move with him the family stayed in England, going to live at 12 Victoria Road, Oswestry. Another sister, Ruth, was born in 1907. Ferdinand and his brother attended Oswestry Grammar School where he was a good athlete and well known in junior cricket and football in the district.

Both brothers followed their father and joined the merchant navy. Ferdinand would serve as a Purser on ships owned by Dempster & Co, in Liverpool on the African routes. Brother Reginald would become a Master and would go on to serve as lieutenant in the Royal Navy.  At the outbreak of war Ferdinand was an officer on troop ship transport running to the Dardanelles. (See Chief Mate Mercantile Marine Barnard C Spaull, SS Royal Edward ). His obituary records that, during a period of ‘enforced inactivity’, he decided to sign up and join the 1/10 Bn King’s Liverpool Regiment (Liverpool Scottish). This was probably in 1915, as at this time Ferdinand was living at Claughton on the Wirral. He went over to France as a draft on 10 April 1916 and served with the battalion during 1916. In 1917 he was selected for officer training. He received his commission on 25 April 1917 and went to train with the Machine Gun corps at Belton Park, Grantham. During his time in England, in early 1918, he married Mabel Boneham at Mansfield, Nottingham – possibly they had met during his training with MGC at Grantham. After the war she would re-marry to become Mabel Cockburn. Ferdinand returned to France in April 1918 and was posted to the new and recently established 25 Bn Machine Gun Corps in 25 Division.

Ferdinand was KIA on 27 May 1918, six weeks after returning to the front. The battalion was operating in the area to the south of the River Aisne at Maizy. They were engaged in trying to stop the enemy advance across the River during Operation Blücher-Yorck, Kaiser Offensive. Casualties for the period 27-30 May were – 6 Officers and 9 ORs KIA, 10 Officers and 120 ORs wounded, 5 Officers and 108 ORs missing. Ferdinand’s body was lost and he is commemorated on the Soissons Memorial. He is also on the war memorial at St Oswald’s Church and on Oswestry School Memorial Window.

Acknowledgements.

References and Sources

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