A personal recollection of RA Hughes. 

A private cremation of Tony will take place in the south of England, after which his ashes will be brought to Trefonen church, just outside Oswestry, where he will be finally laid to rest alongside his younger brother, John, and his father.  

Although a school friend,Tony was not my best friend at Oswestry, but he was certainly one of my oldest, and we remained in touch long after leaving school. He grew up alongside two younger brothers on the family farm, Ty Canol, inTrefonen, whence he travelled to school every day to join me and my other classmates throughout most of the 1950s. My brother Bernard and I were frequent visitors to the Hughes' family household for delightful Sunday lunches, which invariably ended with a nail-biting, white-knuckle ride back to school in Tony's car. Although very bright, I do not recall Tony being particularly academic, and after school he could not wait to get back to the farm, but he was a supreme track and field athlete, and all round sportsman, who was unlucky not to have been given a chance to represent Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics of 1964. 

Speed and adrenaline were in RAH's blood, and after leaving school he was happiest when behind the wheel of a fast car rallying through the Welsh Forests, or hunting down speed merchants on our motorway network. Shropshire Constabulary Traffic Police, who had spotted his driving potential, recruited Tony onto the force in1966, where he remained until the end of his service. Returning to Oswestry, where he remained until 1999, Tony set up an agricultural business with his father and brother manufacturing sheep handling systems. 

Hot air ballooning was another passion in the life of thrill-seeking Tony Hughes, who, before leaving Oswestry following a domestic split in 1999 and moving to Dorset, could sometimes be seen launching his balloon from the Maes-y-Llan playing fields for trips over the Shropshire countryside. Along with five other balloon enthusiasts in the south of England he began organising hot air ballooning fiestas, nationwide, from Southampton to Aviemore; eighteen events in total.

Since retirement in 2008 Tony has lived a quiet life on the South Coast of England, making frequent forays into Shropshire visiting friends and relatives and occasionally joining a group of OO contemporaries for Sunday lunch, as in the photograph below, until finally losing his battle with ill health on 14 September this year. He leaves three children and several grandchildren. RIP Tony.

Tony Hughes (far left) on the last occasion he attended one of our Sunday lunches.

A note from Tony

After leaving Oswestry School in 1960 I remained on the family farm some three and a half miles away from the school. In 1961 I went to Harper Adams Agricultural College, Newport, Shropshire where I obtaind a number of City & Guilds, UeI Certs, and a Diploma in
Dairying.

I returned home for a year and when brother Roy left school I was told that my father was unable to support both of us and it was suggested that I obtain a job of some sort as long as I was able to do the milking night and morning as well. That went down well as I had been told three years earlier that I was not to apply for the RAF which was my first choice (in those days one did what one was told). A sales job in the dairy industry was obtained and daily milking was duly undertaken.

After a couple of years I found the company to be under poor management and my sales could not be delivered on time and being piggy-in-the-middle received more than my fair share of agro from the customers. During these early sixties I, with fellow OO Richard Jeremy, spent many weekends at Snetterton Race Circuit in the old Fomula Junior race training school under Jim Russell subsequently competing in races at Snetterton, Mallory Park and Oulton Park in Cheshire.

In 1960/61, during my attempts to improve my athletics, I came up against Robbie Brightwell at Shrewsbury Schools, Butts Stadium in Coventry (a 330yd track) and at London Road College, in Shrewsbury. On each of these occasions I was fortunate enough to beat Robbie, alas he was picked for the 440yds at the Empire & Commonwealth games in 1962 held in Perth, Australia. He won Silver in both the 440yds and 440yds relay. The European Champs were 400mtrs and were in Belgrade where he won Gold in the 400 and Silver in the 400 relay. I was probably in the wrong club at the wrong time. Robbie only lived about twenty five miles away at Donnington which is now part of Telford. I have many trophys and certificates from numerous events which I competed in around the UK.

In 1965 I got married to a farmers daughter from Ellesmere and we purchased a bungalow in Ellesmere. Upon departure from the sales job (1966), it was suggested by the local police officer that I, having an interest in driving through my rallying and racing, should join the local Shropshire Constabulary where I could drive their cars at their expense! Sounded like a good idea even if petrol was only 3/6d a gallon, (17½p in today's money). I dutifully applied, was interviewed and accepted. Wages then a hefty £880.00 per year.

By April of 1966 I was a fully fledged Police Officer and sent for thirteen weeks to Coventry (for training that is). Three months later I returned to Shrewsbury and was put out to do battle in the Public zone. Two years later (after probationary training was complete), I was seconded to
the Traffic Department followed by an advanced Driving Course of four weeks at Preston Police HQ, Lancashire qualifying top of the course and two years on again sent to Stafford Advanced Driving School for six weeks and qualified as an Advanced Police Driving Instructor. During those years in the Traffic Department, I really did drive a very large number of different cars from Minis (Pandas) to Jaguars, BMW's and Range Rovers (Motorway Patrols). I stayed in the department until the end of my service.

During this time I took part in numerous rally and racing events including in 1964 the Welsh International Rally with Roger Howell OO and going on to International Caravan Rallying, Yes, full RAC type rallying with a van on the back through the Welsh forests, day and night, starting and finishing at Mallory Park and Silverstone where speed and ability tests were the order of the day. Amazing fun! We did quite well beating the majority including Pat Moss (works prepared Saab) and Michelle Mouton (Triumph Stag, French Ladies Rally Champ). Over four years we were never out of the top ten. I used a Triumph 2.5PI and a Triumph Stag during those events. Achieving 118mph at Silverstone with the Stag and a 14ft van in the speed lap in 1972.

During my time as a Police officer within the traffic section one spent a lot of time sitting down in comfortable leather car seats where over a period of time one tended to increase one's body weight due mainly to lack of exercise and the fastening of shoe laces etc became a difficult action. So to relieve the situation it was suggested by a neighbour and good friend that I took up football refereeing in the county league and over a short period went from 15¼ to 13 stone. Job well done. Even enjoyed the refereeing.

I even had the pleasure of refereeing the OO v Oswestry School on a few occasions - once in a very heavy hailstone storm!

Upon completion of my time in the Police I moved back to Oswestry where we opened saddlery and country clothing outlets in Oswestry and
Welshpool and, with my father and brother, set up an agricultural business manufacturing sheep handling systems etc.

Being ever the one for more adventure and as a substitute for not being able to join the RAF on leaving school, I bought myself a hot air balloon from the Oswestry based Thunder and Colt and spent many most enjoyable early mornings and later evenings gliding over the Shropshire and Mid Wales countryside even launching from the Maes-y-Llan on a couple of occasions.

In 1999, as a result of a domestic split I moved to a little town in Dorset where I obtained a job as Production Manager in a family owned furniture factory with a turnover which increased from £3m to some nine million by the time I retired in 2008, and also joined five other friends organising hot air balloon fiestas nationwide, from Southampton to Aviemore - 18 events annually.

Having suffered a heart attack in 1989 I further needed a triple bypass in 2005 followed by a pacemaker in 2016.

For many years around the 1980s we, as a family, became involved in Pony Club and Hunting, stabling five horses at one stage, both Nicola and Rebecca and myself being very competitive in all aspects for many years. Nicola still has her own horses which she shows and breeds.

Since I was ten years old I have had an interest in coins after finding a jar of 1797 George III two pence coins buried on the farm. These days I usually attend about three collectors fairs a month trying to sell off the surplus coins gained over those years where I also gained quite a lot of new items to resell. My main collection dates back to Roman times and this helps keep me occupied during my retirement.

My three children have all done quite well: Philip, the eldest, lives in Wrexham, North Wales and runs his own business within the motor industry. His team install robotic production equipment into almost all the top car manufacturers in England and Europe. He has four kids
who also went to Oswestry School. One of them even winning the Victor Ludorum - just to keep it in the family.

Nicola, my eldest daughter, worked for the Ambulance Service in Shrewsbury until a 25 year-old boy nearly killed her when he collided head on with her ambulance shattering her pelvis and right hip joint. She was out of action for five years before she got back to working for the NHS. The Ambulance was a write off.

Rebecca, an OO, the youngest, and the only one to go to Oswestry School, has her own very successful web site business in Surrey mainly involving golf clubs in the UK and Spain. She went to Surrey College of Art where she gained a degree with honours in Graphic Design and did not return home.

I currently live on the south coast of Hampshire with views over the Solent towards Cowes on the Isle of Wight, virtually on the end of an airfield called Daedulus watching little airoplanes flying in and out for most of the day.