HIGHES, Arnot Irwin
(Service number 2/3016 (WWI); 807181 (WWII) )
| First Rank | Gunner | Last Rank | Driver |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 17 July 1894 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Durham Street, Christchurch | ||
| Occupation | Draper (for Beath & Co, Christchurch) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | Miss B. Hughes (sister), 71 Woodlands Road, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 11th Reinforcements, New Zeland Field Artilllery, No.5 Field Battery | ||
| Date | |||
| Transport | HMNZT 49 Tahiti or HMNZT 50 Maunganui | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian Expeditionary Force (1916), Western European (1916-1917) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 29 March 1964 | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Christchurch | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Arnot Irwin Hughes was born on 17 July 1894 at Timaru, the eldest son of William John and Margaret Jane (née Irwin) Hughes, who had married in 1892. Within a few months in 1899, Arnot and his older sister Beulah Maize and brother Frank Irwin lost their parents and baby brother – William John Hughes died on 15 March; little William Harold Hughes on 7 August, aged 13 months; and Margaret Jane Hughes on 7 October.
When he signed up for service, he was listed as a draper working for Beath and Co and living in Christchurch. His sister Beulah Hughes of 71 Woodlands Road Timaru was listed as next of kin. He embarked in Wellington on 1 April 2016 and disembarked at Suez(?) 2 May 1916. He was injured May 1919 and the Lyttelton Times stated he returned 22 October 1918 (Papers Past, 22 October 1918, Page 4). the paper stated he “was severely wounded in the great German offensive. He had been wounded serval times prior to this, and was also slightly gassed”. When he was discharged on 27 October 1919 as no longer physically fit for service he had served a total of 3 years and 317 days, including 1 year and 112 days in New Zealand. At this time he intended to return to Christchurch.
Despite his army file stating he received a gun shot wound to this right thigh, an article in the Press (Papers Past, 4 April 1964, Page 7) stated Arnot was a foundation member of the New Brighton Amateur Athletic Club in 1928. The article also was a member of the Christchurch Rugby Club from 1911 and was club captain from 1927 to 1930. He was the foundation president of the Burnham Bowling Club during WWII and was a committee member of the New Brighton Surf Club.
Arnot married Florence Charlotte Lloyd (nee Dumergue) in 1936 and together they went on to have Janice (1942) and Margaret (1945). Arnot was step father to Thelma and possibly Robert. When he re-enlisted for WWII he was married and living at New Brighton and working as a Clerk. His record states the period of service was 25 September 1939 to 26 October 1946 but it does not appear he was deployed overseas during this time. He would have been 45 years old in 1939. He was discharged November 1946.
Arnot died in Christchurch on 29 March 1964.
Sources
SCROll web submission by J Macdonald, 20 June 2025; Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [27 June 2025]; NZ Defence Force Records [27 June 2025]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Tony Rippin, South Canterbury Museum
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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