OLIVER JAMES HUGHES
22nd May 1895 - 28th May 1918
Oliver James Hughes was the eldest son of Joseph Francis Hughes of 11 Rudry Street, Penarth and
Emily Hughes (nee Banwell): Emily and Joseph married on 2nd February 1917 at St Peter’s
Church, Rockferry. Bebbinghton.
Oliver’s brother, Joseph, was born in 1896 and the other brother, George Frederick, was born in
October 1897 and, sadly, died in 1901 when he was 6 years old. Another brother, John Vincent, was
born in 1905. In the 1901 census the family are living at 1 Rudry Street, Penarth, and Joseph, who
was born in Edgeware, Middlesex, is a Railway Guard.
By the 1911 census the family had moved to 11 Rudry Street and Joseph is employed as a Railway
Guard with the Taff Vale Railway. Oliver, who is 15, is a grocer’s apprentice, Joseph is a
hairdresser’s apprentice and John Vincent is at school.
Oliver enlisted in the newly formed 16th (Cardiff City Service) Battalion. On 19th September,
1914, Lloyd George, in a rousing speech at the Queen’s Hall, London, called for the formation of a
separate Welsh Army. On 2nd November, the Lord Mayor, Alderman J.T. Richards, gave his
enthusiastic support to raising a complete battalion, and on 23rd November the recruiting campaign
was opened in earnest. Captain Frank Gaskell, from Llanishen, Cardiff, who was recovering from
wounds, was placed in command. The war had been going for 16 weeks and the first rush of
enlistments was now over with recruits coming forward much slower than required, it was proving
difficult to get the 1,000 men needed. They organised public meetings, grand military
demonstrations and appeals at soccer matches, places of work and music halls etc. The target was
eventually achieved but it took more than 8 weeks.