Samuel Hughes (judge) facts for kids

Samuel H. S. Hughes (born 1913, died 2002) was a Canadian lawyer. He became a judge on the Supreme Court of Ontario. But he also had a less known role: he was a military historian during the Second World War.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in a Military Family

Samuel Hughes was born in 1913. He was the only son of Garnet Hughes, a general who led Canadian divisions in the First World War. His grandfather, Sir Sam Hughes, was Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence during that same war.

Because of the war, Samuel grew up in the United Kingdom with his father. They moved back to Canada in 1928. At that time, his father finished his military career and returned to work as an engineer.

School and University

Samuel went to school at Upper Canada College. Then he studied at the University of Toronto. After that, he went to Oxford University in England with a special scholarship. He studied history there. When he finished, he wasn't sure what career he wanted to pursue.

Samuel's father passed away in 1937. Samuel then returned to Canada. He tried teaching for a while. In 1939, he began studying law at Osgoode Hall in Toronto.

His Role in World War II

Joining the Army

When the Second World War began, Samuel Hughes joined the Officers' Training Corps. He became a lieutenant in The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada. In the winter of 1941, he was sent to England. Later, he worked at the Canadian Military Headquarters in London. He was a junior intelligence officer there.

A Historian in the Army

In London, Colonel Charles Perry Stacey learned that Samuel was a trained historian. In 1943, Colonel Stacey asked Samuel to join his Canadian Army Historical Section. This group's job was to make sure good records were kept. These records would help future official historians write about the war.

Colonel Stacey wanted to send Samuel to Italy. He would be a field historical officer. This meant he would travel with Canadian troops during the Allied invasion of Sicily. At first, a general named George Kitching didn't like the idea. He thought Samuel might be a spy. But the commander of the 1st Canadian Division, Guy Simonds, liked having more historical officers. So, in November 1943, Samuel went to Italy. He traveled by ship with a war artist named Charles Comfort. Comfort later said Samuel was a "spirited companion" with amazing history knowledge.

Collecting War Stories

Once in Italy, Samuel and Comfort went to the front lines. Canadian forces were fighting there. Samuel was part of the 1st Canadian Field Historical Section. He felt comfortable with the Canadian officers. As he gathered information for history, senior officers began to trust him. They found he could give them good information about the battles.

A few weeks later, Samuel's boss, W. E. C. Harrison, visited him. It was cold, and German artillery was firing heavily. Harrison later wrote that Samuel "remained outwardly unperturbed." But he also joked that Samuel could disappear very quickly when enemy planes flew over! Harrison also said that a historical officer's main challenge was to combine different stories from the units, brigades, and divisions.

After the War

After a year of active service, Samuel returned to England in late 1944. Colonel Stacey wanted him to help organize the records collected by the field historians. Samuel wrote in his book, Steering the Course, that this plan kept him in England for the rest of the war. By this time, Samuel's wife, Helen, was also in London. They moved into a small apartment.

In 1945, Stacey and Hughes created a book about the Italian campaign. It was called From Pachino to Ortona in December 1943. After the war ended in Europe in May 1945, Samuel wrote a booklet called After Victory - What?. He stayed on Stacey's team, sorting documents. He also helped Stacey, who became an official historian of the war. They even arranged to question enemy officers from the Italian campaign. Samuel also helped Farley Mowat, who was collecting materials for the Canadian War Museum.

In April 1946, Samuel returned to Osgoode Hall to finish his law studies. He retired from the Canadian Army as a Lieutenant-Colonel.

Life as a Judge

Samuel Hughes finished his law degree in 1948. He then became a lawyer. He had a very successful career. In 1955, he was appointed as a Queen's Counsel. This is a special title for experienced lawyers. He then became the first chairman of the Ontario Highway Transport Board. In 1960, he became a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ontario.

From 1966 to 1969, he led a special investigation called a Royal Commission. It looked into the failure of a company called Atlantic Acceptance Corporation Ltd. This investigation ended with a four-volume report. He continued to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario. He retired in September 1988, when he was 75 years old.

Samuel Hughes passed away in 2002.

His Writings

Samuel H. S. Hughes wrote several publications during his career. These included:

• "Sir Sam Hughes and the Problem of Imperialism" in Historical Papers (1950).
• "The Law and Folklore in Transport Board Appearances" in Canadian Motorist (1954).
• "The Formulation and Execution of Personnel Policy" in Public Personnel Review (1962).
• "A Comparison of the Old and New Civil Service Acts" in a book called Toronto: Canada (1962).
• Report of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the failure of Atlantic Acceptance Corporation Ltd (1969): This was a four-volume report from his work as a commissioner.
• Steering the Course: a Memoir (2000): This was his autobiography, telling his life story.