Frederic Hughes

Australian World War I general

Major General Frederic Godfrey Hughes, (26 January 1858 – 23 August 1944) was an Australian Army general in the First World War. A prominent businessman, and two time mayor of St Kilda, Hughes was also part time Militia officer, and had served in the artillery forces of the Victorian colonial forces prior to federation. Post federation, Hughes had risen to command several light horse brigades before volunteering for service with the Australian Imperial Force in October 1914. Appointed to command the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, he subsequently led the formation to Egypt and then Gallipoli. During the Battle of the Nek his brigade suffered heavy casualties and he was later evacuated from the peninsula in September 1915, suffering with typhoid. He continued to suffer ill health, but returned to active service mid 1918, undertaking a staff role until 1920 when he retired as a major general. Post war, he returned to civilian business and died in St Kilda at the age of 86.

Frederic Godfrey Hughes was born on 26 January 1858 in the Melbourne suburb of Windsor, the son of a grazier, Charles Hughes and his wife Ellen. He was educated at Melbourne Grammar School. As a youth, Hughes was a talented player of Australian rules football; he was also an accomplished athlete and rower, according to biographer Judy Smart. He played for St Kilda for three seasons beginning in 1876, and then transferred to Essendon in 1879. The Footballer magazine described him as "a most useful man, plays very hard and with remarkable judgment, follows splendidly, a fine kick, and unerring mark". After leaving school, Hughes undertook clerical work, and was employed by a land valuer until he started his own business in this field in 1884. In 1898, he became a St Kilda City Councillor, serving for years including two periods as mayor (1901 to 1902 and 1911 to 1912).

In 1875, Hughes joined the part time military forces – the Militia – being assigned as a gunner to the St Kilda Artillery Battery. Hughes came to depend heavily upon Antill, There were concerns about Hughes' age,

Hughes' brigade undertook defensive duties initially, holding an area around Walker's Ridge and Russell's Top. In an effort to break the deadlock they were committed to the August Offensive. Major General Alexander Godley, in command of the offensive, ordered Hughes to launch a dawn attack the Turkish positions at the Nek on 7 August 1915 with a bayonet charge as a diversion to support the attack on Chunuk Bair. From the outset the effort went awry. Efforts to destroy machine guns enfilading the attack failed, and the supporting artillery barrage stopped seven minutes early due to a failure to synchronise watches, which allowed the defenders were able to reoccupy their firing positions before the attack. In the desperate battle that followed, four waves of light horsemen charged the Turkish trenches, only to be cut down by unsuppressed fire from at least 30 machine guns. According to military historian Ross Mallett, "Hughes mismanaged the battle" and while the wider issues that led to its failure were not of his making, his decisions ultimately exacerbated the heavy casualties his brigade suffered. Most of those that were killed, died within only a few metres of the Australian trench line. After this, the brigade's regiments returned to defensive duties. Hughes' health subsequently deteriorated and on 20 September he was evacuated, suffering from typhoid. He was also mentioned in despatches.