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 ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, along with

Harry Patch Henry John Patch (17 June 1898 – 25 July 2009), dubbed in his later years "the Last Fighting Tommy", was an English supercentenarian, briefly the oldest man in Europe, and the last surviving trench combat soldier of the First World War from ...

, 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 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 state ...

has not confirmed his war service, but many First World War service records were destroyed in

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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 opposi ...

. 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 ...

. 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 Fr ...

on HMS Albion. 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 Gurkha ...

. 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

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from

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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."

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

See also

References