Colin Arthur HUGHES [235]

  General Notes:

1912 SA Birth 880/298 HUGHES Colin Arthur Percy Septimus HUGHES Amy Ann LEWIS Adelaide

RSL Virtual War Memorial
HUGHES, Colin Arthur
Service Number: SX11880
Enlisted: 22 March 1941, Adelaide, SA
Last Rank: Corporal
Last Unit: 27th Infantry Battalion
Born: North Adelaide, SA, 2 February 1912
Home Town: Collinswood, Prospect, South Australia

The Advertiser (Adelaide) Wednesday 22 February 1989
Death Notices:
HUGHES, Colin Arthur. - Passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 21, 1989, at Daw Park Repatriation Hospital, aged 77 years. Beloved husband of Joyce. Loving father of Beverley and Peter, David and Pam, Helen and Graham, Rhonda and Bob. Much loved grandpa of Scott, James, Brett, Kerry, Leane, Mandy, Robert, Glen, Amanda and Benjamin. Now at peace and never to be forgotten. Special thanks to the Doctors and Nursing staff of Ward 5. Return Soldier 2/27th Battalion.
HUGHES, Colin Arthur. - Passed away February 21 at Daw Park Hospital, dearly loved brother and brother-in-law of the late Marjorie and Don Anderson, loved uncle of Ross, Jill, Colin, Mary and families. Many happy memories will remain with us always.

Funeral Notice:
HUGHES. - THE FUNERAL SERVICE for COLIN ARTHUR HUGHES, will be conducted on THURSDAY, February 23, at the Enfield Crematorium, in the West Chapel, at 10.30 a.m. in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Australian Kidney Foundation - "Flowers for life" - Phone 373 1778. Simplicity Funerals Phone 297 9555 Throughout Australia.

The Advertiser (Adelaide) Thursday 23 February 1989
Death Notice:
HUGHES, Colin Arthur. - Passed away February 21, 1989. Sadly missed by all of his friends at the Hillcrest Senior Citizens Club. At peace.

Enfield Memorial Park Cemetery: Plot: Eastern Niche Wall No 2 - AA-AU 16-1

  Other Records

• Photograph: Young Colin, 1935.

• Photograph: Young Colin Hughes, 1935.

• Photograph: Colin Hughes, 1942, WW2 AIF.
Historical Record of 2/27th Battalion of Australian Army WW2 (Courtesy of Australian War Memorial)
2/27th Battalion
The headquarters of the 2/27 Battalion opened for the first time at Woodside in South Australia on 7 May 1940. On 19 October the battalion left Woodside, by train, for Melbourne where it sailed for overseas on 21 October. After a brief stop in India en-route, the 2/27th disembarked in Egypt on 24 November and moved straight to Palestine to complete its training.
As part of the 21st Brigade of the 7th Australian Division, the 2/27th's first operational assignment of war was to bolster the defences along the Egypt-Libya frontier against an expected German attack. It occupied positions at Maaten Bagush and Matruh throughout much of April and May 1941, before returning to Palestine in preparation for its first offensive operation - the invasion of Syria and Lebanon, which began on 8 June.
The 2/27th was employed in the drive north along the Lebanon coast but most of its operations were outflanking moves in the hills that edged the coastal plain. Its major actions were at Adloun on 11 June, Miyeoumiye on 13-14 June and around El Boum, as part of the battle of Damour, between 6 and 9 July. After the armistice of 12 July, the 2/27th remained in Lebanon as part of the Allied garrison until 11 January 1942.
After sailing from Egypt on 30 January 1942, the 2/27th disembarked in Adelaide on 24 March. The battalion's stay in Australia, however, was brief. On 14 August it arrived at Port Moresby in Papua, and by 6 September it was in position at Mission Ridge on the Kokoda Trail preparing to meet the relentless advance of the Japanese. The battalion held on to its positions for two days before being forced to pull out by a Japanese outflanking move that cut the Trail behind it. A grim 2 week withdrawal through the jungle, with little food, followed. Sick and exhausted, the 2/27th rejoined the main Australian force at Jawarere, 40 kilometres east of Port Moresby, on 22 September.
After a period of rest and retraining the 2/27th returned to action at Gona on 28 November. It suffered heavily in series of rushed and ill-conceived attacks and was further assailed by the ravages of tropical disease. By the time it was relieved on 6 January 1943, it was only 70 strong.
The 2/27th returned to Australia in mid-January but was back in Papua by early August. It spent a month training near Port Moresby before being flown to Kaipit in New Guinea to take part in the advance along the Ramu Valley. Leaving Kaipit on 29 September, the 21st Brigade reached Dumpu on 4 October and then began pushing up into the Finisterre Ranges. The 2/27th occupied several key features during these operations and bore the brunt of the one major counterattack launched by the Japanese on 12 October. Thereafter,the 2/27th's operations were principally patrol actions. It began returning to Port Moresby on 3 January 1944, and arrived back in Australia on 1 March.
The 2/27th left Australia for its last operation of the war on 3 June 1945. The battalion landed at Balikpapan on 1 July and after the attacks of that day, conducted with relatively light casualties, its operations were confined mainly to small-scale patrolling until the end of the war on 15 August. From mid-October to late January 1946 the 2/27th formed part of the occupation force in the Celebes. It sailed for home for the last time on 4 February, arrived at Brisbane on 14 February, and was disbanded there on 18 March. http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11278.asp

• Photograph: Colin Hughes, 1961, Ross & Jill Anderson's Wedding breakfast.

• Photograph: Colin & Joyce Hughes, 1987, Vera Hughes's 80th.

• Photograph: Colin Hughes, 1987, Vera Hughes' 80th.

Colin married Hannah Joyce DUKE [154] [MRIN: 58], daughter of Ernest Giles DUKE [2315] and Amy Gertrude DOHNT [2316], on 20 Sep 1948 in Methodist Church, Archer St, North Adelaide, South Australia. (Hannah Joyce DUKE [154] was born on 9 May 1916 in Blyth, South Australia, died on 22 Dec 2006 in Nursing Home, Elizabeth, South Australia and was buried on 28 Dec 2006 in Enfield Memorial Park, Clearview, Adelaide, South Australia.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Photogra: Happy Hour, 1980s, Senior Citizens luncheon.