[1] During the First World War, he served in England and France with the 1st Pioneer Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).
Hughes joined the Union Insurance Society of Canton and was manager of the company in San Francisco.
[2] He was also director of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.
On the eve of the Japanese invasion, Hughes was the commander of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps raised the number of the auxiliary force from 1,175 to 2,400 in June 1941, by recruiting men over 55 with military experience.
[3][4] When he retired to England, the Volunteers came under the command of Major J. J. Paterson, taipan of the Jardine, Matheson & Co.[5] He died in Sydney in 1964.