Second World War Medal Group – Private Stanley Gordon Hughes, Royal Sussex Regiment
1939–45 Star – unnamed as issued
France & Germany Star – unnamed as issued
Defence Medal – unnamed as issued
War Medal – unnamed as issued
Efficiency Medal (Territorial) – 6398171 PTE. S. G. HUGHES. R. SUSS. R.
Mounted as worn, split over two bars.
Stanley Gordon Hughes was born on 1 December 1915 at Eastbourne, East Sussex, the son of Ernest George Hughes and Elizabethe Mabel Hughes (née Stace). He was raised in Eastbourne and remained closely tied to the town throughout his life. In 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war, he married Elsie May Withall, and the couple went on to have two sons during the war years.
Hughes served during the Second World War as a Private in the Royal Sussex Regiment, with his wartime service confirmed through medal entitlement documentation. His service included deployment to North-West Europe, qualifying him for the France and Germany Star, indicating active service during the Allied advance following the Normandy landings. He was released from service in November 1945, having completed the full wartime period.
After the war, Hughes returned to civilian life in Eastbourne, where he worked as a Corporation Omnibus Conductor. He lived locally for the remainder of his life and died at Eastbourne on 1 December 1989, aged 74.
Of exceptional note with this group is the survival of a remarkable and extensive photographic archive, discovered via Ancestry, consisting of numerous photographs taken by Hughes himself while serving in Holland in October 1944. These images provide an extraordinary first-hand visual record of soldiers, daily life, and conditions during the liberation of the Netherlands. The photographs are amazing, unique, historically important, and form a truly outstanding accompaniment to the medals. All images, along with the full research, will be emailed to the buyer.
PLEASE NOTE: All research will be sent to the buyer via email. I am unable to provide printed copies, as I do not have access to a printer.
AJMS Medals