Campden Voices 

by Paul R. Hughes, 14 September, 2006

Richard “Dick” Hughes was born on 2nd August 1877 at Mickleton. He was the seventh child of James and Sarah Hughes. He was baptised at Mickleton church and he went to school in the village. After leaving school he became a gardener. This would remain his trade throughout his life.

In 1897 he married Lucy Crosswell from Hidcote Bartrim at Mickleton church. They had seven children, although two died very young, and Gladys died in her teens. His son George served in the Royal Navy during the 1914-18 war. George’s brother, Charles, founded “A. C. Hughes and sons” and was to become my grandfather. Dick’s daughter’s married local men and stayed in the area. Lucy May married Alfred Bruce and Alice Ann married George Plested.
Dick moved to Chipping Campden in about 1905 after working in Mickleton and Weston-sub-edge. This was a return to Campden for my branch of the Hughes family. DIck’s grandfather was a Campden man and he married Sarah Beard at St James church in 1828.

When war was declared in 1914 Dick was 37 years of age but he was keen to do his bit. He enlisted into the Devonshire Regiment in December 1915 but after he was found to have flat feet he was classed as medical category C3 and put in the army reserve. He was eventually mobilised and posted to the 13th battalion at Saltash in September 1916 aged 39. The next 2 two years were to be spent in England with various companies of the Labour Corps. Dick was a strong man and his manual skills were put to good use.

Dick was discharged from the army in February 1919 after two years and five months service. As he did not serve overseas in a theatre of war he has no medals to show for his time in the army. He returned to Campden a tired man. He had lost a lot of weight and he looked nothing like to man in the photograph taken at the start of his war service.

Dick spent the rest of his life living and working in Campden. He died on 18th November 1957 aged 80 and he is buried with his wife at St James Churchyard.