Born in Armagh, Ireland.
Enlisted at Warrington on the 26th of December 1854.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 11".
Trade: Labourer.
Appearance: Fresh complexion. Blue eyes. Brown hair.
Joined the regiment in the Crimea on the 14th of July 1855.
Embarked for India from Cork aboard the S.S. "Great Britain" on the 8th of October 1857.
Volunteered into the 20th Hussars on the 1st of November 1863 with the Regimental No. of 662.
From Private to Corporal: 25th of May 1865.
Re-engaged in India for a further 12 years' service on the 13th of April 1866.
Tried by a Regimental Court-martial and reduced to Private for "absence" on the 14th of April 1869.
From Private to Corporal: 17th of April 1872.
Discharged from Hounslow on the 10th of February 1876.
"Free, at own request, after 21 years."
Served 21 years 58 days.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 10 months.
India, 14 years 11 months.
Conduct and character: "very good". Four times entered in the Regimental Defaulter's book. Once tried by Court-martial.
Aged 39 years 2 months on discharge.
To live, c/o. "The Tower of London."
Documents confirm the award of the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol, T. M. and the Mutiny medal with clasp for C. I.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol.
Mutiny medal with clasp for Central India.
Served at Kotah and Gwalior.
In possession of a 2nd Class School Certificate.
Not recorded by Lummis and Wynn.
He was awarded the Long Service & Good Conduct medal (without gratuity) on the 31st of March 1876.
Awarded a pension of 1/3d. per day.
His group of medals are known to be in the possession of one of his sons. Now (1985) 95 years of age, he states that his father was not married until after he had left the Army, he himself being born in 1890. The son is now in a very feeble state of health and unfortunately does not know, or cannot recall, anything about his parents. The medals are named as follows: "Jn. Hughes. 8th Hussars." on the Crimean medal, "No. 1532 Private Jn. Hughes. 8th Hussars." on the Turkish medal, Mutiny medal with clasp for Central India,, as "John Hughes. 8th Hussars." and the Long Service and Good Conduct medal is to "662. John Hughes. 20th Hussars." The naming on all the medals is slightly "rubbed", due to contact wear.