Netherwood "Ned" Hughes (12 June 1900 – 4 April 2009) was one of the last two
Tommies who served the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
during 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 ...
, along with
Harry Patch
Henry John Patch (17 June 1898 – 25 July 2009), dubbed in his later years "the Last Fighting Tommy Atkins, Tommy", was an English supercentenarian, briefly the oldest man in Europe, and the last surviving trench combat soldier of the World W ...
, although Patch was the only one to have seen action. Hughes was also one of three British veterans still living in the country, with Patch and
Henry Allingham
Henry William Allingham (6 June 1896 – 18 July 2009) was an English supercentenarian. He is the longest-lived man ever recorded from the United Kingdom, a First World War veteran, and, for one month, the verified oldest living man in the w ...
being the other two. The
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
has not confirmed his war service, but many First World War service records were destroyed in
the Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. However the World War I Veterans Association invited him to the
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
for the 90th Anniversary of the
Armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
. He did not attend as his family felt that the journey would be too much for him.
He was born in
Great Harwood
Great Harwood is a town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, located north east of Blackburn and adjacent to the Ribble Valley. Great Harwood is the major conurbation of the 'Three Towns'; the three towns being Great Harwood, Clayton- ...
, the middle child of seven siblings to John, who worked as an optician, and Robina. He had three brothers: Charlie, Henry, and Sidney, who served in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
on
HMS Albion
Nine ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Albion'' after Albion, an archaic name for Great Britain:
* was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line launched in 1763. She was converted into a floating battery in 1794 and was wrecked in 179 ...
. Hughes spent most of his working life as a mechanic and driver and, in June 1918, he was called up, like every other driver in Great Britain, to perform that role in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
.
[ While he was still in training the war ended, and he returned home to drive in a mill.][ He later became a bus driver. Hughes married twice, but never had any children, although he was frequently visited by his nephews at his care home, Woodlands Home for the Elderly in ]Clayton-le-Moors
Clayton-le-Moors is an industrial town in the borough of Hyndburn in the county of Lancashire, England. located two miles north of Accrington. The town has a population of 8,522 according to the 2011 census.
To the west lies Rishton, to the no ...
, where he spent most of his time in the grounds, smoking his pipe.[
When receiving a ]birthday card
A birthday card is a greeting card given or sent to a person to celebrate their birthday. Similar to a birthday cake, birthday card traditions vary by culture but the origin of birthday cards is unclear. The advent of computing and introduction of ...
from the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
each year since his 100th birthday, he commented: "She has the same frock on".
In his final few weeks, Ned's health deteriorated and he had difficulty speaking for a week before his death, according to his niece, Ann Hutton. He died of natural causes on 4 April 2009, aged 108, at Woodlands. Speaking to the ''Accrington Observer'', Mrs Hutton said, "It’s not the family’s wishes for a military funeral. We don’t want bugles and whistles, we just want a simple family affair. He couldn’t stand any fuss on his birthdays."
See also
* List of last surviving World War I veterans
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Netherwood
1900 births
2009 deaths
British Army personnel of World War I
British centenarians
Men centenarians
People from Great Harwood
Manchester Regiment soldiers
Military personnel from Lancashire