Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Robert Hewes, a pork pie maker, born 1864 in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire and his wife Annie Agnes Hewes (nee Gibson, married on the 17th September 1885 in the Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire district), born 6th April 1867 in Harby, Leicestershire. Herbert was born in the 2nd quarter of 1894 in Melton Mowbray, his siblings were, Ada, a dressmaker’s assistant, born 1886, Walter, born 6th October 1888, Robert, born 24th July 1891 and Leonard, born 1901, all his siblings were born in Melton Mowbray, in March 1901 the family home was at 7, Stanley Street, Melton Mowbray. In April 1911 Herbert was absent from the family home at 7, Stanley Street, Melton Mowbray, residing there was his father, a pork pie maker, his mother and siblings Ada, a dressmaker, Walter, an office clerk, Robert, an office clerk and Leonard, a schoolboy, Herbert was employed as an assistant sexton and was residing at 3, Church Yard, Melton Mowbray. Herbert first entered the theatre of war in France on the 8th June 1915, serving as a Private with the 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry, subsequently being transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. He was discharged from the Army under KR: 392:XVI on the 13th February 1919. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory medals. His cause of death, aged 28 in the 2nd quarter of 1922 in the Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire district, is unknown, but it has to assumed that as his name appears on the war memorial in Melton Mowbray it was possibly war related, however this cannot be corroborated by any clear and defining explanation that is officially documented. The newspaper article that is added to Herbert’s entry relates to his elder brother Robert, who also served, but survived the war.
On Friday August 18th 1916 The Melton Mowbray Times & Vale of Belvoir Gazette published the following article under the heading. “MELTON AND THE WAR.” – THE MELTON CASUALTIES. Pte. R. Hewes, 6th Dorsets (son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Hewes, 7, Stanley-st., Melton Mowbray), is lying in the 1st Birmingham War Hospital, Rednall, suffering from wounds in the arm received on Aug. 7th. In a letter to his parents this week he states: “I was hit by a bullet in the left arm on Monday night about seven o’clock. There were only eight of us bombers who went over the top to try and find the German advance trench, and I can tell you we found it. Four of us got wounded, and, worst of all, my mate Joe Hepworth got killed. I was the last man to get back to our lines. I managed to get into a shell hole, and stopped there nearly three hours.” Before the war Pte. Hewes was employed for eight years at Messrs. Tebbutt and Co., and he enlisted nearly two years ago, leaving Melton on August 23rd, 1914. Failing to get in the A.S.C., he joined the 18th Hussars, afterwards being transferred to the 4th Dragoons, and subsequently to the 6th Dorsets. During the period he was undergoing his training in England, he was twice admitted to hospital suffering from rheumatism, then went out to Serbia with the 6th Dorsets, but after arriving there was attached to the Royal Munster Fusiliers. Having taken part in the great retreat there, he was invalided home suffering from frost bite arriving in England on Christmas Eve, so that this is his fourth such acquaintance with hospitals during his two years service.