Archibald Orlando Hugh

(Note: Archie Hugh does not appear on the War Memorial, despite being born in Probus.  I think this may be because the family moved to St Stephens when Archie was very young, and he had been lost to the collective village memory by the time the war was over)

Archibald Orlando Hugh was born in Probus in late 1897.  Both his parents John Henry and Louisa Annie were also born in Probus, as was his sister Sylvia. Four more siblings were all born in St Stephens.  About 1900 when Archie was 2 or 3 years old, the family moved to St Stephens, where his father John worked as a labourer in the china clay pits there.  He probably moved for reasons of employment.

Archie enlisted at St Austell quite early in the war, into the Royal Artillery.  His rank was that of ‘Gunner’, which in the infantry is the equivalent to the rank of 'private. 'He was on active service in France by 20th May 1915.

The German Spring Offensive (or the Ludendorff Offensive) of 21st March 1918.

The spring offensive of March 1918 was the Kaiser’s last throw of the dice, if he wanted to achieve a victory.  He needed to break the deadlock before American forces (now a participant in the conflict) could reach France.  And he had numbers on his side: fifty German divisions had been freed from the Eastern Front after the withdrawal of Russia from the war, which had been brought about by the revolutions of 1917.  This offensive then was also known as ‘The Kaiser’s Battle.’

It opened at 4.40am on the 21st March, with the largest bombardment of the war spread over an area of 150 sq miles.  It was aimed fully at the British sector, in particular the Fifth Army.  Over 1 million shells were fired in the first five hours.  The ferocity of the assault rolled the British line back, in the biggest advance the Germans had made since 1914.  By the end of the first day, the British forces had lost over 7,000 dead, with over 10,000 wounded. 

D Battery 47th Brigade, April 1918

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The War Diaries for this unit do not give much detail, there is not even a location given, only “In The Field” and a map reference.  But they do convey the impression of a dug in field battery exchanging fire with enemy batteries on a daily basis. One month on from the initial German onslaught, the front had stabilized somewhat and the danger of a German breakthrough was looking less likely. The Dairies also frequently mention the use of gas shells by the enemy on the batteries of 47th Brigade, causing casualties amongst the men.

On April 17th the following entry was made: “The following casualties occurred: Lieut G.F. Youngs and 2/Lt. G.R. Bongard D/47 to hospital suffering from gas poisoning.  4 OR D/47 to hospital suffering from gas poisoning.”  (‘OR’ meaning ‘other ranks,’ in order to differentiate non-commissioned officers and men from commissioned officers)  This is the only reference to casualties from gas shells in the days leading up to the 23rd. 

The Diary goes on to say that on that same day 47 Brigade was relieved by 90 Brigade, and they were able to march away from the front line area to billets in Petit St Jean.

Gunner Archie Hugh would have been amongst the four men taken to hospital, suffering from the poisoning that resulted from inhaling the fumes released when the shell impacted the ground. He died six days after being “wounded” by this despicable weapon.  He is buried in the St Sever Cemetery Extension in the suburbs of Rouen, France.  There are 8,655 casualties of war buried here.

Mentioned in Despatches

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Archie Hugh must have been a good and conscientious soldier.  He had served almost three years in France, and at some point had come to the attention of his superiors for performing particularly well in some way, and so was given a mention in the C.O.’s despatches.  A ‘mention’ entitled a man who had served in the First World War to wear an oak leaf emblem on the Victory Medal, when issued.  A certificate was also awarded. 

Researched and written by Stephen Jackson​