The remarkable career of Captain William Henry Hughes began in the era of sail. He first went to sea aged only 12 years, and by the time he was 18 had been shipwrecked three times. He sailed around Cape Horn ten times before settling on a career with the ferries operating to Ireland out of Holyhead. He saw active service in the First World War, came under fire during the Irish Troubles in the 1920s, and led a party of sailors who successfully prevented the Irish Light Ship Alexandria being scuttled. He received two Royal Humane Society Certificates on Vellum for bravery, rescuing people from the Irish Sea.
In 1940, a captain of the requisitioned ferry HMT Scotia, he was awarded the DSC for his gallantry during the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk.
Dewi B. Francis was born in Nantlle, Caernarfonshire, the son of one of the renowned Brodyr Francis singing duo. Educated at Pen-y-groes County School and, after wartime service in the RAF, the Normal College, Bangor, he taught in Anglesey throughout his career, becoming the headmaster of Kingland and Llanfawr Schools in Holyhead. He is the son-in-law of Captain William Henry Hughes, the subject of this biography. In 1986 he was created an MBE for his services to education and the community.