The Importance of Family in WWII

During the Second World War, everyone had to sacrifice whatever they had in an effort towards victory. Family life was heavily hit, with sons, brothers and fathers heading around the world to fight for their country. Daughters, sisters and mothers too were sent around the world to nurse and care for the soldiers. Children were evacuated from large towns and cities to the countryside which often led to a light-hearted and delightful parallel to some of the horrors experienced elsewhere. Most of those who were left took up vital roles in providing supplies to support the war and home fronts and took up voluntary roles to make sure that home was able to feel like home. This put a tremendous stress on morale and family life. Despite all this hardship however, families did their best to ensure that although they were apart, they could still communicate and keep the spirit of family alive. This is certainly the case in the Hughes family who lived in Aberystwyth.

The Ceredigion Archives, home to many local treasures, have copies of the letters sent from the three Hughes brothers during WWII. A quick word for the archives before going forward; thank you for being so helpful and accessible, especially with the current Covid restrictions in place.  From the collection we learn that one of the brothers, Lewis, was stationed in a rather unique position during the war, in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, serving with the Royal Air Force (RAF). This blog will start by examining the importance of family during the Second World War through the letters of Lewis Hughes.

Lewis Hughes

It is worth considering the context behind Lewis’ deployment to Iceland. Iceland remained a neutral state during WWII. On May 14, 1940, the Royal Marines invaded Iceland as part of Operation Fork and received little or no resistance. They raided the communications so that no contact, other than between allied forces, could be made. All Germans were also rounded up as a precautionary measure. Iceland provided a huge tactical advantage for allied forces as it could provide passage for Canadian troops and supply lines, as well as American supply lines, and later provided an inroad for their troops too. It was geographically situated between two key areas. The Western side lies on the allied waters, and the East was occupied by Germany and their naval blockades. Iceland was crucial as it became an extra place to provide Britain with supplies such as fishing goods. Iceland was also needed for its supply links with the Northern American supply routes.

Lewis was ranked Leading Air Craftsman (LAC). It is unclear exactly what role he undertook but there are a few possibilities. LACs were important to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Reykjavik as they comprised  construction elements, for example, carpenters and engineers. These were important to the construction and maintenance of RAF bases in Iceland. Furthermore, he could have also been involved in the upkeep of any aircraft which was stationed at the bases. It may also be possible, as a responsibility with the rank of LAC, that he could have led a fighter squadron too. With no direct indication of the role he undertook we cannot say for certain what he did, but there is no mention of flying, so perhaps he was not a pilot. There were of course general duty roles such as standing guard and patrolling for enemy presence. Whichever role Lewis did, it was a fine contribution into the security of Iceland and the all-important Atlantic waters.

Lewis, like both of his brothers, regularly sent letters and, when he could, packages back home. One of the communications he sent was a simple birthday card, with a bouquet of flowers on the front. Inside the card was the usual birthday poem, but down the bottom Lewis had simply written ‘I did remember. All the best’. With so few words it captures wonderfully his personality of both himself and the family. With the hardship of life during the period of the Second World War, the smallest and most innocent of gestures go an incredibly long way. Despite being on duty in his own efforts to represent Britain in another country, he found the time to remember and get a card sent back home. It is a small but wonderfully powerful reminder of the things that matter most. By keeping the family spirit alive, it means a handful of people have smiles on their faces, and maybe a story to share with those around them to encourage more smiles. It is a true example of the butterfly affect; a small morale boost to one person multiplies to a few people across the world. 

 

Lewis's birthday card home

 

Elwyn Hughes

Elwyn served as a gunner during the Second World War. Unlike Lewis, who was stationed in a neutral country, it is likely that Elwyn served in a hostile country which meant that his location had to be left unknown in case of an interception of mail by enemy forces. Because of this, we do not know where Elwyn was fighting (however, if you know where Elwyn fought, please do get in touch with us).

Like Lewis, most of the writing refers to family life, the typically boring day in day out stuff which was taken for granted. However, in one communication Elwyn mentions that he is suffering from ‘head trouble’. Given that Elwyn held the rank of gunner, it is possible that he sustained some kind of a head wound. He goes on to mention that his hair is starting to grow back too so perhaps some shrapnel or debris came into contact with his head but thankfully did not cause too serious a wound. On the other hand, considering the time of writing, it is also plausible that ‘head trouble’ could be in relation to mental trauma.  In the present day, mental illness is openly talked about in all groups of people across society to improve their mental wellbeing, especially those in the armed forces. The stress and trauma coming alongside combat can be huge. It could be that Elwyn's head trouble was related to stress and or anxiety resulting in hair loss; perhaps stress induced alopecia. Whatever was the nature of the ‘head trouble’, the ability to confide in his family shows the bond that existed between a son and his parents during war. The empathy and family core values are still there, despite being in two wildly different situations across the world. 

Einion Hughes

Einion started off in a similar position to that of his brother Elwyn; he was a gunner. However, in evidence dated close together, where he fell ill with a cold so had to stay in France without returning home with his unit, his rank appears to have changed to private. It is likely that he was redeployed from his previous unit and put to use with a different unit. He also mentions that he was working on night duty and the stamp came from a medical ward, so perhaps he became some sort of guard to a hospital or medical unit. Although in all of his communications, Einion is a very cheery character, he was disappointed not to return home with his unit as his cold prevented him. Despite this set-back, he remained optimistic about a potential transfer and was hopeful that he would someday see them again. I suspect this character would be exactly the sort you would want to be fighting and working alongside. 

All of the brothers regularly checked in their letters home that everyone, especially their brothers, were well. Einion was in particular very keen to remain up to date and in the loop with his family’s well-being. Einion would ask more directly about Elwyn, perhaps because of the knowledge of his head wound and more immediate combat role. He does also ask after Lewis by name also, but perhaps he knew that, although still at risk,  Lewis was safer in his station in Reykjavik. 

Einion's letter home

Mum and Dad

We only have the letters the three brothers sent back home and there are currently no records of how the parents replied. However, giving that the three brothers sent numerous letters, we can understand the role of the Hughes parents. With their three sons spread across the world, they are still the glue binding everyone together. With parcels sent out and received from both parents and all three brothers, you really get a sense of how close this family in particular were but their story also gives insights into many more families being in similar circumstances during the Second World War. It would seem as though the parents were immensely proud and supported all their boys the best they could. The genuine feeing of closeness in the letters is a reflection of how they were raised and the sense of family that they have. There is constant talk about checking up on how each other is, how the neighbours are and the news from the home front. The reminders of what they are fighting for must have driven the efforts of everyone whether it was at the war front or the home front. They were true pillars in keeping the family morale going.

The Importance of Family

This blog has hopefully demonstrated the importance of family by holding up the shining of example of the Hughes family from the small town of Aberystwyth. We can see that family was at the heart of this family’s experience of the Second World War. The glimpses of personality which come through the writings back home give an essence of the characters that we can try to understand. The letters are all largely positive, and when they are personal, we can see sheer empathy and encouragement. The balance of support which they all gave and received shows a real sense of the hardship of family life, both as a collective and as individuals. The Hughes family unit gives us great insight into the heart-warming and inspiring story of this family, and family life in general during the war. The personal struggles and success are all cared for. This is just one example of what every family in Britain would have experienced during the Second World War.

Blog by Dan Ahern