Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell, VC (26 October 1884 – 19 November 1933) was an Australian soldier in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

who was the first

Western Australian Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and only Australian light horseman to receive the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

(VC), the highest award for valour in battle that could be awarded to a member of the

Australian armed forces The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...

at the time.

Early life

Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell was born in

Northam, Western Australia Northam () is a town in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about east-northeast of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2016 census, Northam had a population of 6,548. Northa ...

on 26 October 1884, the son of

George Throssell George Lionel Throssell (23 May 1840 – 30 August 1910) was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February to 27 May 1901, during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics. Georg ...

, who was later briefly

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...

, and his wife Anne, Morrell. Hugo was one of fourteen children born to the couple. He was educated at

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend ...

in Adelaide from January 1896 to December 1902, where, nicknamed "Jimmy", he was a noted athlete, and captain of three intercollegiate sports teams. On the outbreak of the

in 1914, he joined the Australian Imperial Force and was allotted to the

10th Light Horse Regiment The 10th Light Horse Regiment is a "mounted infantry" regiment of the Australian Army Reserve, raised in Western Australia (WA). While the name of the 10th Light Horse originated in the first months of World War I, the regiment traces its cere ...

. His brother, Frank Erick Cottrell Throssell, known as "Ric", also served in the war and died near Gaza. Hugo Throssell's son, Richard Prichard "Ric" Throssell, shared the same family nickname as his uncle.

First World War

As a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Hugo Throssell fought at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

, where he had landed on 4 August. He saw action in the desperate

Battle of the Nek The Battle of the Nek ( tr, Kılıçbayır Muharebesi) was a minor battle that took place on 7 August 1915, during the Gallipoli campaign of World War I. "The Nek" was a narrow stretch of ridge on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The name derives from ...

. According to the ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'':

A few weeks later, he fought at Hill 60: Hugo and Ric Throssel 1915

Whilst recuperating from his wounds in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

he was introduced to

Katharine Susannah Prichard Katharine Susannah Prichard (4 December 18832 October 1969) was an Australian author and co-founding member of the Communist Party of Australia. Early life Prichard was born in Levuka, Fiji in 1883 to Australian parents. She spent her childhoo ...

, an Australian journalist who had recently won a significant novel competition and would go on to be a famous author and

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

. He eventually returned to active service, rejoining the 10th Light Horse in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

where he fought in a number of engagements, and achieved the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He returned home in 1918, and in 1919 married Prichard after the war ended.

Post-war, socialism and death

Hugo Throssel and Katharine Susannah Prichard with son Ric

In the following years Throssell was an outspoken opponent of war, and claimed that the suffering he had seen had made him a socialist. His stance on the futility of war outraged many people, especially as it was being expressed by a national war hero and the son of a respected and conservative former premier. His very public political opinions badly damaged his employment prospects, and he fell deeply into financial debt. On 19 November 1933, he killed himself, while his wife was on a tour of the Soviet Union.

Memorials

Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell was buried with full military honours in the Anglican section of

Karrakatta cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

, Perth. In 2014 the grave was refurbished and a new grave stone placed. In 1954 an octagonal stone gazebo was dedicated to Throssell in Greenmount at the intersection of Great Eastern Highway and

Old York Road Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail", ...

. It stands opposite the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers' Centre. A ward at the former

Repatriation General Hospital, Hollywood Hollywood Private Hospital (Hollywood) is an acute care hospital located in Nedlands, Western Australia. Hollywood is Western Australia's largest private hospital, with more than 900 licensed beds. The hospital is part of Ramsay Health Care Gro ...

was temporarily named in his honour. Throssell's Victoria Cross is displayed in the Hall of Valour at the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. In 1983 his son

Ric Throssell Ric Throssell (10 May 192220 April 1999) was an Australian diplomat and author whose writings included novels, plays, film and television scripts, and memoirs. For most of his professional life as a diplomat his career was dogged by unproven a ...

presented it to People for Nuclear Disarmament. The

Returned Services League of Australia The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. Mission The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care ...

bought the medal and presented it to the Australian War Memorial. A statue of Throssell was unveiled in the Avon Mall in Northam on

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

2015.

References

External links

*Suzanne Welborn
'Throssell, Hugo Vivian Hope (1884–1933)'