Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Freemasons VC Memorial | Great Queen Street | |
| 2. Grave: | Karakatta Cemetery | 2.B.304 Perth | |
| 3. Book: | Beyond The Five Points | Pgs 191-193 | |
Awards & Titles: | Victoria Cross | ||
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 10th Light Horse Regiment |
| Action : War Survivor |
Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.
Detail :
His Victory Cross award was widely reported across the Newspapers, including The Ballarat Courier, The Western Australia Record and The Avon Gazette and Kellerberrin News which reports the "FIRST VC DECORATION FOR W.A." A detailed newspaper report, which headlines him as "a modest hero" can be found in the Perth based Western Mail.
Search further at : Trove - National Library of Australia.
See also: Australian War Memorial.
See also: University of New South Wales - AIF Project.
Hugo died on the 19th November, 1933 at Lazy Hit Ranch, Greenmount, Near Perth. He committed suicide by shooting himself at his ranch. He is buried at the Karakatta Cemetery in the Anglican Section 2B - Plot 304. A quote from the AWM website: "Badly affected by his war experiences, he became a socialist and an opponent of war. Although he tried to resume his life on the land, he never fully recovered..." from which it can be determine that, like many survivors, he was actually a casualty of war.
He is remembered on the Australian War Memorial and commemorated on a plaque in the Garden of Remembrance at Karkatta Cemetery (Wall 33 - Row E) and a plaque at Greenmount. Streets are named after him in Greenmount, Melbourne and Canberra.
Citations & Commemorations :
He is cited in the London Gazette on the 15th October 1915: "On 29-30 August 1915 at Kaiakij Aghala (Hill 60), Gallipoli, Turkey, Second Lieutenant Throssell, although severely wounded in several places, refused to leave his post during a counter-attack or to obtain medical assistance until all danger was passed, when he had his wounds dressed and returned to the firing line until ordered out of action by the Medical Officer. By his personal courage and example he kept up the spirits of his party and was largely instrumental in saving the situation at a critical period."Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Bulwer Lodge of Cairo No. 1068 E.C. | Buckinghamshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
15th June 1917 | 4th August 1917 | 6th October 1917 |
As a war survivor, Hugo is not listed against the Masonic Roll of Honour 1921, or the 1933 Scroll. His initiation in Cairo in 1917, into the Bulwer Lodge of Cairo No. 1068 was whilst he was serving with the 10th Light Horse. His Lieutenancy and his V.C. is recorded as part of his entry within the contribution record. He resigned from Bulwer Lodge on the 31st December 1921, but not yet possible to tell whether he joined any other lodge upon posting away from Cairo.
There is a connection with the THROSSELL family insofar as the current Provincial Grand Master of Worcestershire (2019) is married to one of Hugo's related descendants.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley