James Laughlin Hughes (1846 – 1935) – Canadian public speaker, educator, school inspector, author and poet

With thanks to Stanley Kaye – the Poppy Man – for sending me a WW1 poem written by J.L. Hughes. 

James Laughlin Hughes was born near Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada on 20th  February 1846. James’ father came from County Tyrone (Northern Ireland). His mother was the daughter of a British Artillery officer serving in Lower Canada. James was the eldest of their 11 children

At the age of 12 James passed the examination for a second-class teaching certificate and finished his schooling two years later. He worked on the family farm until he was 17, then accepted a six-month teaching position in Hope Township’s school section 10, which began his teaching career.

James wrote at least 29 books, including 8 works of poetry, and scores of articles on pedagogy, among other subjects. When his retirement was announced, a tribute published in the “Toronto Star Weekly” labelled him “a many sided man.”

James died in Toronto on 3rd January 1935.

A poem entitled “His Unfinished Story” by James L. Hughes, Toronto, Canada … (ended in Belgium 14th November 1915)   

Sources:  Information supplied by Stanley Kaye, 

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-laughlin-hughes

http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hughes_james_laughlin_16F.html

Catherine W. Reilly.- “English Poetry of the First World War: A Bibliography” (St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1978) p. 397.