John Hughes, commonly known as Fred, was a Toowoomba harness maker who enlisted for the war in March 1916. Hughes reached France a year later where he fought with the 2nd Corps Heavy Artillery, before being transferred to the 2nd Field Artillery Brigade on 31 July. A day later he received shell wounds in Belgium and died of his wounds on the 2nd of August. Hughes was buried at the Brandhoek New Military Cemetery.
His death was reported in the Toowoomba Chronicle on the 13th in an obituary which claimed he was an adept soccer player. Before the war, Hughes played soccer for Western Suburbs alongside his brother Walter, who had also enlisted. Both brothers were added to the Toowoomba British Football Association honour board in 1918, with Hughes listed as “F. Hughes (killed)”.