Able Seaman Michael Hughes

Able Seaman Michael Hughes

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve "Howe Battalion" 63rd (Royal Naval) Division
Service No: Clyde Z/6781

1499

3

1

0

52

Click here for a frameable A4 print

Personal details

Family Information

Son of James and Mary Ann McLean Hughes of 42 Academy St, Coatbridge. Michael had 5 brothers also serving. His older brother Able Seaman Francis Hughes of the "Hawke" Battalion, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Died of Wounds on the 22/04/1917, a day before he died. They both fell at the start of the Battle of Arras and are both listed on the Arras Memorial. Brother Private Timothy Hughes of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was wounded on the 11/04/1917. Michael's other brothers serving were Sergeant John Hughes of the Highland Light Infantry, Sapper William (Willie) Hughes of the Royal Engineers and Private Andrew Hughes of the Cyclist Corps. At the time of Francis and Michael's deaths, Andrew and 1 other brother lay wounded in Malta. From the 1901 Census - Address - 97 Buchanan St, Coatbridge - James Hughes aged 41, Mary Ann Hughes aged 43, Frank Hughes aged 18, Maggie Hughes aged 17, Helen Hughes aged 15, Andrew Hughes aged 12, John Hughes aged 8, Timothy Hughes aged 6, Michael Hughes aged 4, William Hughes aged 5, lodgers Peter Morris aged 23, John Kerr aged 50, George McPherson aged 61, Maggie McPherson aged 51. Michael's Pension was awarded to his father James of 62 Buchanan St, Coatbridge and his sister Mrs Bridget McLean of 104 Buchanan St, Coatbridge on the 20/12/1917.

Born / Resided

Coatbridge / 31 Buchanan St, Coatbridge.

Died

Killed in Action on the 23/04/1917 at the 2nd Battle of the Scarpe (part of the Battle of Arras)

Enlisted

Glasgow 23/10/1915

Employed

Iron Worker in the Horse Shoe Works.

Age

21 / DOB - 28/01/1896

Buried / Remembered

Arras Memorial (Bay 1), Pas de Calais, France.

Cemetery / Memorial Information

The MEMORIAL commemorates nearly 35,000 soldiers of the British, South African and New Zealand forces with no known grave. Most of those commemorated were killed in the Battle of Arras, fought between 9 April and 16 May 1917.

Additional Information

The "Howe" Battalion were part of the 188th Brigade, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. On the day of Michael's death the Battalion was part of the 2nd Battle of the Scarpe (23rd - 24th April 1917), a phase of the Arras Offensive, in which the Division captured Gavrelle. The attack was ordered for April the 23rd. The XVIIth Corps (37th Division) was to co-operate on the right flank, and the three objectives of the Naval Division were the enemy trenches in front of Gavrelle, a clearly defined road running roughly north and south through the centre of the village, and a line three to six hundred yards beyond Gavrelle in touch with the 37th Division, whose final objective was Greenland Hill. Further south, the attack was to be continued by the 51st Division of the XVIIth Corps, whose objective was Roeux, and by the Vlth Corps, whose objectives included Cherisy, Guemappe and Infantry Hill east of Monchy. The Naval Division was to attack with the 190th Brigade on the left and the 189th Brigade on the right. After the capture of the first objective (the trench system in front of Gavrelle), the 189th Brigade only was to proceed to the further objectives, while the 190th Brigade was to form a defensive flank. The Battalions allocated to the attack were, from right to left, the Drake, Nelson, 7th Royal Fusiliers and 4th Bedfords, with the Hood Battalion in close support. This Battalion had to follow behind the Nelson to the second objective and capture the third objective in conjunction with the Drake. The 1st H.A.C. were in support to the 190th Brigade, with orders to go forward as the situation might require. The carrying parties were found from the Hawke and 10th Dublin Fusiliers. The Howe Battalion of the 188th Brigade was attached as a reserve Battalion to the 189th Brigade, the remaining three Battalions of the 188th Brigade being held in Divisional reserve. Two sections from each of the 189th and 190th Machine-Gun Companies were to go forward with the infantry, and the remainder were to cover the advance with overhead fire. Medium and light trench mortars were to follow up the advance. The attack was to begin along the whole front at 4.45 a.m. By midnight on April 22nd - 23rd the troops were reported in position, but the Drake patrols discovered that the wire on their right front was mostly uncut, and a characteristic message back to Brigade Headquarters announcing the fact ended with the bland inquiry : “Is the attack cancelled?” The message, so say the official records, was repeated to the XIIIth Corps with the last sentence deleted. Commander Bennett lost no time, however, in issuing amended orders to his Battalion. He decided to attack on a company front only, and to cover his right flank with an intensive Stokes mortar and machine-gun bombardment. The intricate and continuous fighting put a heavy strain on the Drake and Hood Battalions, and when, at 4.30 p.m., a belated order arrived for a further advance to the originally planned objective, Commander Asquith and Commander Bennett, after consultation with Lt-Col Lewis, decided to ignore it. Their action was approved, and, on getting a full report, General Phillips decided to put in the Howe Battalion in the evening, and to withdraw the Hood to the old reserve position. The enemy were in strength, and though they suffered under our barrage, their first wave being almost wiped out, they reached, and at one point on the Howe front actually penetrated, our posts. The prompt and energetic action of Commander Bennett and his officers on the Drake front, and of Lieutenant Mackinlay and Sub-Lieutenant Lawrie of the Howe Battalion prevented, however, any loss of ground and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. Only once did the enemy look like breaking through, at the junction of the Howe and Nelson Battalions, when the position was safeguarded by "A" Company of the former Battalion. SEE PHOTOS x 6 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY MARCH - APRIL 1917, The Royal Naval Division Memorial at Gavrelle and PHOTOS x 11 FOR THE 63rd (ROYAL NAVAL) DIVISION BOOK APRIL 1917. The Arras offensive (Battle of Arras) : 9th April -16th June 1917 : Once again the British are called upon to launch an attack in support to a larger French offensive: the battles of the Chemin des Dames and the hills of Champagne. The opening Battle of Vimy and the First Battle of the Scarpe are very encouraging, but once again the offensive - often known as the Battle of Arras - bogs down into an attritional slog. Final attempts to outflank the German lines at Bullecourt prove terribly costly. Michael's records state - Enlisted 23/10/1915 - Draft for MEF 16/02/1916 Joined Howe Battalion - 19/04/1916 till 11/10/1916, Pyrexia (fever). Re-joined Howe Battalion 26/11/1916 till time of death. In October he and his brother Francis enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve but were posted to the Infantry Division made up of excess Naval recruits. See Directory for Michael's older brother Francis' page. Michael and his 4 brothers are remembered in the St. Augustine's Parish (book) and St. Patrick's Church (book) Rolls of Honour. See photos for Michael listed in the Naval Casualties Index, his Service Records x 3, his Naval Medal and Award Rolls, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Arras Memorial Panel List, Michael's Pension Records x 4 and the Howe Battalion Cap Badge. Finally, see photos x for the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division Order of Battle (the Division Michael was with when he fell), Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery and Arras Memorial (photo taken by myself in July 2023. My partner Linda can be seen in this photo), Michael's name on the Arras Memorial x 3 taken by myself in July 2023, Newspaper clippings x 4 (Coatbridge Express x 1, Coatbridge Leader x 2 and the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser x 1) and the Coatbridge Express 06/01/1915 x 2 which lists Michael and brothers John, Andrew and Francis on the St. Augustine's Church Roll of Honour.

Photos

War Diaries

The battalion War Diary is available on the National Archives website.

Creative Commons License

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