Service Details:

14 June	1915                     Enlisted, Blackboy Hill Training camp
15 January	1916                     Joined Battalion Tel-El-Kebir
21 March	1916                      France
6/7 June	1916                      Trench Raid
29 July – 27 Aug.	1916                      Pozieres (Sausage Valley)
4 August	1916                      Pozieres
6 September	1916                      Belgium
October	1916                      Ypres and Dernacourt
3 November	1916                      Battle of Ancres Heights & Fricourt
Febuary	1917                      Warlencourt
March	1917                      Attack on Malt Trench
May	1917                      Battle of Bullecourt (Hindenburg Line)
June	1917                      Bapaume
August	1917                      Cassel
18 September	1917                      Ypres
27 September	1917                      Promoted Sergeant
4 October	1917                      Died of Wounds, Broodseine, Belgium

 

 

Biographical Details:

John McHugh, the second son of John McHugh and Alice Edwards, was born in Heidelburg, Victoria in 1879. His father died in 1908.
A timber hewer John enlisted with the 2nd reinforcement of the 28th Battalion in June 1915. After some initial training at Blackboy Hill his unit was shipped to Egypt for more training before joining the 28th Battalion, in Egypt, on its return from Gallipoli.
On the Trench Raid John McHugh was a member of the Covering Party which waited in no man’s land to cover the withdrawal of the trench parties.
A month after the Raid John was wounded at Pozieres.  He was evacuated to England where he was treated for shrapnel wounds to a shoulder, back and legs. He was unable to rejoin his Battalion until January 1917.
In April John was hospitalised with Trench Fever .  He returned to his unit in July but three months after rejoining his unit he was wounded again and died at a Canadian Casualty Clearing Station.
The following was taken from a Red Cross report:
I was told by Sgt. Kennedy of C. Co. (since killed) that he was with McHugh at Westhoek Ridge in Oct. when he was wounded. They were in a fatigue party and McHugh was hit by a piece of shrapnel and badly wounded. They were on a corduroy road and the same shell killed the driver of a wagon on the road. The horses bolted and the wagon went over McHugh. 
John Was buried at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium. He was thirty eight years old.  He left no dependants.
John McHugh’s mother was presented with his service medals, a Memorial Scroll and Memorial Plaque although not before having to prove that she was his closest surviving Next of Kin.