By Greg Blood

WILLIAM MORRIS HUGHES

Australian Socialist League (1891), Labor (to 1916), National Labor (1916–17), Nationalist (1917–29) Independent (1929), Australian (1929–31), United Australia (1931–44), Independent (1944–45)

7^th Prime Minister – 1915-1923      

William ‘Billy’ Hughes was prime minister during World War I and strongly advocated for sportsmen to enlist particularly after significant deaths, injuries and falling enlistments. Sportsmen had the physical and mental strengths missing in untrained men. Hughes has been Australia’s longest serving federal parliamentarian and sporting pursuits of golf and billiards were played throughout his parliamentary career.

Birth: 25 September 1862, London, England – Death: 28 October 1952, Sydney, NSW

Major Political Appointments

• New South Wales Legislative Assembly Member for Sydney-Lang 17 July 1894 – 11 June 1901
• Federal Member for West Sydney, NSW: 29 March 1901 – 5 May 1917
• Federal Member for Bendigo, VIC: 5 May 1917 – 16 December 1922
• Federal Member for North Sydney, NSW: 16 December 1922 – 10 December 1949
• Federal Member for Bradfield, NSW: 10 December 1949 – 28 October 1952
• Ministries: Minister for External Affairs   27 April 1904 – 18 August 1904; Attorney-General 13 November 1908 – 2 June 1909, 29 April 1910 – 24 June 1913, 17 September 1914 – 21 December 1921 ; Minister for Trade and Customs   29 September 1916 – 14 November 1916, Minister for External Affairs   21 December 1921 – 9 February 1923, Minister for Repatriation   12 October 1934 – 6 November 1935, Minister for Health 12 October 1934 – 6 November 1935, Minister for Repatriation   6 February 1936 –   29 November 1937, Minister for Health   26 February 1936 – 29 November 1937, Minister for Territories 29 November 1937 – 7 November 1938, Minister for External Affairs 29 November 1937 – 26 April 1939, Attorney-General 20 March 1939 – 7 October 1941, Minister for Industry   20 March 1939 – 28 October 1940, Minister for Navy   28 October 1940 – 7 October 1941
• Cabinet: 27 April 1904 – 18 August 1904, Minister. Served: 17.09.1914 to 09.02.1923, 13 November 1908 – 2 June 1909, 20 April 1910 – 24 June 1913, 17 September 1914 – 9 February 1923, 6 January 1932 – 7 October 1941
• Prime Minister:   27 October 1915 – 9 February 1923

Background

William Morris Hughes (known affectionately as ‘Billy’) was born in London, England, on 25 September 1862. He was the only child of William Hughes and Jane Morris. His father was a carpenter and his mother died when he was seven. He attended the local grammar school at Llandudno, Wales until he turned 14. For the next five years, he was a pupil teacher at St Stephen’s Anglican School, Westminster. Hughes migrated to Brisbane in 1884 and to Sydney around 1886. In 1886, he married Elizabeth Cutts and they had six children together. In 1891, Hughes and his wife opened a small mixed business in Balmain, Sydney.

In 1893, Hughes became an Amalgamated Shearers’ Union organiser and subsequently became heavily involved in the trade union and subsequently became heavily involved with the Trolley, Draymen and Carters’ Union and the Waterside Workers Federation of Australia. In 1894, he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Solidarity Labor Party candidate for Lang, Sydney. In the first federal election in 1901, he was elected as Labor candidate for West Sydney. He combined his parliamentary duties by studying law and being admitted as a barrister in 1903. In 1906, his first wife Elizabeth died, and he married Mary Campbell in 1911. 

Before becoming prime minister in 1915, he was deputy leader of the federal parliamentary Australian Labor Party (ALP) 1907-1915 and Minister for External Affairs in 1904 and Attorney-General 1908–1909, 1910–1913, 1914-1915. He became prime minister after Andrew Fisher retired in October 1915 and Australia had recently entered World War I. In early 2016, Hughes travelled to England to discuss the war with the British government and visited the troops in Europe where he was given the nickname ‘the Little Digger’. Hughes strongly supported Australia’s involvement in the war and undertook to boost military recruitment in Australia.

In 1916, due to heavy death toll in Europe and decline in enlistments, Hudges announced a referendum for the establishment of compulsory overseas military service. The decision to hold a referendum led to six Labor ministers resigning. The referendum on 28 October 1916 was rejected by a small majority. Hughes and former prime minister Chris Watson were expelled from the ALP NSW branch as many trade union and catholic members were strongly against conscription. On 14 November 1916, Hughes and 23 members quit the Labor caucus, and this led to him forming the Hughes National Labor Party and governing with the support of the former Liberal opposition led by former prime minister Joseph Cook. Hughes’ National Labor Party and the Liberal Party merged as a new party, the Nationalist Party. This new party won the general election on 5 May 1917. Hughes also switched to the electorate of Bendigo in Victoria at this election. Hughes government held a second conscription referendum in December 1917, but this was again defeated.

After the war, Hughes Nationalist Party lost its majority in 1919 federal election and had to rely on the newly formed Country Party to stay in office. Hughes was forced to resign as prime minister after he lost the support of the Country Pary and was replaced by Stanley Bruce in 1923.

After 1923, Hughes moved in and out of major parties. He established the Australia Party in 1930, was a member of Joseph Lyons United Australia government in 1932 and held senior ministerial positions until the defeat of Robert Menzies government in 1941. He was not appointed a minister in the second Menzies government in 1949. He died on 28 October 1952 whilst the federal member for Bradfield, New South Wales. He had been a federal member of parliament for over half a century and the final member from the first federal parliament in 1901.In 2026, Hughes remains as the longest serving member of federal parliament – 51 years, 213 days. [1]

Sport was an important part of his life. He suffered from chronic dyspepsia, and he became physical fitness fanatic to help manage his health ailments.[2] As part of his health and fitness regime, Alf Bachi was employed as his masseur and personal attendant from 1919 to 1949. [3]

Sporting Interests

Hughes early interest in sport was rowing, cricket and horse-riding. [4] In 1908, he became the first patron of the newly formed Glebe Rugby League Club.[5] In 1907, rugby league was established in Sydney after it broke away from the amateur rugby union and several ALP politicians including former prime minister Chris Watson became involved in this working class sport as patrons and administrators.

During his long federal parliamentary career, golf and billiards were the sports that he regularly played. Hughes was a regular but not necessarily a good golfer. His golfing exploits are covered in the printed media over his time in parliament. The Killara Golf Club stated that he was a member from 1925 to his death in 1952 and noted that “He was an indifferent player but a very shrewd one and notoriously hard of hearing, a defect he would turn very successfully to his own advantage on the golf course. His most usual golfing companions were Sir Arthur Rickard, Henry Hawkins and Bill Ingram.[6]

In 1937, he was reported to hitting golf balls on the lawns opposite parliament house on a chilly Canberra morning rather than travelling to the nearby Royal Canberra golf course. [7]  In 1941 on his 79^th birthday in Canberra, he played nine holes of golf in the afternoon and spent the evening at billiards and rounded off his birthday by reading some hundreds of congratulatory telegrams. [8] In 1944, it was reported that whilst playing golf at Royal Canberra golf course he was “about to make an approach shot to one of the greens, he was literally swamped when a hose became disconnected from a tap and he received the full force of the water. With his clothes wringing wet, he retired immediately from the game”.[9]

Another golfing story published stated “The Prime Minister, was lost in the rough. After searching for some time, his opponent who, had an appointment and was anxious to finish the game, quietly dropped a new ball and called, ‘Here it is, Mr. Hughes.’ The Prime Minister examined it carefully, slipped it into his pocket with the comment, “No that’s not mine, brother, but it will do for another day,” and ignoring all rules, insisted upon searching for another five minutes until his battered old ball was found” [10]. There are reports of Hughes playing golf whilst overseas including a foursome in Geneva with a Siamese,a Japanese, and Bolivian player.[11]

Hughes was a regular billiards player, but this is reported in the printed press less than his golfing exploits. In 1927, it was reported a billiards incidenttat the Hotel Canberra:[12].

Billy’ was playing a wretched stick, and, despite, his deafness, appeared to be distracted by constant interruptions from an-onlooker who claimed to be a constituent of W. M.H. Finally, missing an easy in-off, that meant victory or defeat, ‘Billy’ turned savagely on the fellow. “Look here, my man,” he yelled, “I’ll have you understand that I won that seat, by many thousands, and one blithering supporter less makes no difference.

In 1946, it was reported that in “Finding conditions unpleasant for golf, he has devoted the spare time of this session to billiards and has discovered that the cues in the Hotel Canberra billiards room need servicing. Failing in representations to the management, Mr. Hughes brought the necessary renovation materials to Canberra, and in the billiards room set aside his favorite cues”[13]

Politicians frequently attended the opening of sporting competitions. It appears that Hughes liked to kick off matches.  In 1928, Hughes led Federal Rovers v Queanbeyan Warrigals onto the field at Manuka Oval, Canberra in a match playing for the Richardson Cup. It was reported that after Hughes led, he teams onto the oval ”He showed great desire to kick off being restrained twice before the players were in position”. [14] Smith’s Weekly headline in 1938 was ‘W.M.H. Kicks Off Again.’ At seventy four, he kicked off the soccer match between Crow’s Nest and Wallsend at North Sydney Oval. It was reported that “After the invitation to kick off in the local match, he phoned a friend of his at a school in Killara and borrowed a football with which he practised assiduously in his backyard at Lindfield for a week prior to the event.”[15]

Source: W.M. (Billy) Hughes, Pix (Sydney, N.S.W:), V22 (12) 19 March 1949

Sport and World War I and II  

Hughes became prime minister shortly after Australia entered World War I and the continuation of sport was questioned by many in the community. The playing of sport in Australia during World War I was limited due to enlistments and decisions of several major sports associations to cease their competitions. Major competitions for rugby league in Sydney and Australian football in Melbourne continued but rugby union and cricket ceased their main competitions. It was reported in the at the war’s end that 3872 NSW rugby union members out 4000 eligible members enlisted, and 382 of them had died on active service. [16] On the other hand in Victoria, Hess and found that before the Gallipoli landing, fifty-one (or 13 percent) of Victorian Football Association (VFA) and Victorian Football league (VFL) players from the previous season were reported as having enlisted. [17]Player ranks were reduced and attendances decreased.  The support for the continuation of sport was primarily from sports supported by the working class.

In October 1916, the Hughes government held a conscription referendum to increase the number of troops to fight overseas as enlistment levels fell to their lowest level. The referendum was narrowly defeated and led to Hughes forming a new government with the Liberal Party in November 1916 after twenty three ALP members quit. The Hughes government then commenced a propaganda campaign appealing to sportsmen to help fill the declining ranks. In early 1917, Don MacKinnon, Commonwealth Director-General of Recruiting, decided to target sportsmen and their fans to improve voluntary enlistments. Sportsmen Recruiting Committees were established in each state, and the enlistment campaign became known as the ‘Sportsman’s Thousand’. A series of posters were developed – generic and for specific sports.  One poster portrayed Captain Albert Jack, first Australian Victoria Cross winner in World War I. He was a former boxer.

Source: Australian War Memorial

The general election held in May 1917 had the Hughes government promoting the policy of “Win the War” that included restrictions on professional sport. In June 1917, the recently elected Hughes government frustrated by low levels of enlistment announced there may be restrictions placed in sporting events. Hughes statement in the printed media on 7 July 1917 highlighted his concern with the obsession for sport to the detriment of the war effort included: [18]

It believes that so much time is given to sport in Australia, where the many look on and the few participate, that the safety of the nation is endangered. Many are indeed so obsessed by sport as to ignore altogether, the grave danger in which their country stands. It is necessary since the danger threatens all alike, that all should at least realise its nature. In this great crisis, those things tending to distract the minds of men from matters of life and death should be put aside, so that all men may see and do their duty as citizens.

The Governor-General’s speech in the opening of federal parliament on 11 July 1917 stated that the Hughes government was to “consider that action should be taken to curtail sport meetings throughout the Commonwealth, in order to concentrate the minds of the people on the more serious aspect of the War, and steps are being taken towards this end. ”[19]. This raised concerns in federal parliament. Albert Gardiner, ALP NSW Senator and a former rugby union player, his concerns with these proposed restrictions:[20]

If the records of the sportsmen of this country could be obtained it would be found that the men from the race-course, the football field, the tennis court, the bowling green, and wherever else sport is played, have played their part manfully in this war.

If the honorable senator visited the race-course as frequently as I do he would find that it has been depleted of most of its former crowds. The young and fit men do not go there as people imagine they do. The race-courses have done their share, and done it well, but no doubt it will please a section of the community if, by curtailing sport, the Government can make people think more seriously of the war. Sport is a good recreation and active relief for thousands of us from the anxieties of the war.

Stopping sport to win the war is the only definite win-the-war proposal in this programme. What sport are the Government going to stop? Is it golf? I suppose they will stop golf because the man whose mind is absorbed by it is certainly not thinking seriously of the war. The man who plays bowls will have to have his pleasure stopped.

On 27 July 1917, Hughes had a letter published in several major Sydney newspapers again appealing to sportsmen to enlist.[20]

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In September 1917, Cabinet agreed to place restrictions on horse racing and boxing. [21] Rugby league and Australian football were spared from restrictions – these sports had strong working class support.

Fowler stated that:

The government had certainly chosen the easy targets of boxing and horse-racing, which had already obtained a somewhat poor reputation owing to their immoral association with gambling and corruption. Hughes astutely avoided confrontation with the re-merging power of football, while also allowing other near-on defunct sports such as cricket to continue on. In retrospect, Hughes’ careful movement against sport revealed the insincerity of his claim that sports stymied recruitment and the wider war effort.[22]

The failure to increase enlistment even after including ‘Sportsmen Thousand’ campaign led Hughes holding a second conscription referendum on 20 December 1917.  In the lead up to the vote, Hughes spoke at a pro-conscription rally held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday 10 December 1917 with a crowd 100,000. [23] The rally became rowdy with stones being thrown at Hughes due to anti-conscriptionists infiltrating the rally. The second conscription referendum failed with a larger majority against than the first one.

In the lead up to World War II, Hughes oversaw military recruiting as Minister for External Affairs as a member of the Lyons government. He again appealed to sportsmen to join the militia.  Extracts from his letter to sporting editor of the Sydney Sun in 1938[24]

Dear Sir, — I appeal to your many thousands of sporting readers to join the Militia Forces which the Commonwealth Government has decided to raise from its present strength of 35.000 to 70,000. In view of the events of the past few years, and particularly of the acute crisis at the end of last September, when the world’ was saved by a miracle from a catastrophe by which it might well have been destroyed, it can hardly be necessary to stress the need for defending Australia from aggression.

The young sportsmen of Australia are magnificent types of physical manhood. They have won for themselves and for their country a high reputation throughout the world. No one doubts that their courage and patriotism match their physique and skill in the branches of sport to which they devote their leisure hours; or that should the tocsin sound, they would rush to defend their country.

But no one can realise better than they that in modern war, untrained men are useless. War to-day is mechanised, the weapons with which wars are fought, are complicated mechanisms which, if they are to be used effectively, call for intense training.

During Hughes time in government as prime minister or cabinet minister, he made several appeals to sportsmen to increase enlistments. Whilst the Sportsmen Thousand’ campaign would have led to an increase in enlistments; it was hamstrung by the campaign against sport being played – this campaign alienated players and supporters by calling them ‘slackers and loafers’. Blair and Hess stated that” While it was true “Billy” Hughes’ party campaigned to curtail sport, this proved little more than political rhetoric”.[25]

Olympic Games

Hughes government provided funding £1000 to the Australian team to attend the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games. Hughes responded to a deputation for the Olympic Council of Australia by stating “I will give you the £1000 which my colleague Sir Joseph Cook promised you in a moment of generosity in 1914.” Hughes indicated that the government would help with getting steamer accommodation for the team if difficulties arose. However, it was noted that whilst members of the deputation “thanked the Prime Minister heartily but some expressed regret that their request had been so modest. [26]

Conclusion

Hughes played sport most of his life with golf and billiards keeping him active during his long parliamentary career. He understood the need to be associated with popular working class sport by becoming patron of the Glebe Rugby League Club or by attending sporting events. During World War I and the lead up to World War II, Hughes believe fit and healthy sportsmen should have enlisted due to their physical skill and courage – lacking by untrained men. However, the working class, trade unions and Catholics did not fully support the conscription and the desire for sport to be not curtailed.

Images

• Billy Hughes driving off from the tee at Yeerongpilly Golf Course, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
• Billy Hughes in golfing attire, with three other golfers, In collection Papers of William Morris Hughes at National Library of Australia.
• Presentation by the Premier Sir Bertram Stevens at the opening of Northbridge Golf Course, 1935, Local History Digital Collection Willoughby Council
• Billy Hughes with daughter Helen Hughes at Sydney Cricket Ground , Papers of William Morris Hughes at National Library of Australia.

References

[1] Online biographies – Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Archives of Australia, Museum of Australian Democracy

[2] L. F. Fitzhardinge, William Morris (Billy) Hughes (1862–1952), in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9 , 1983

[3] Billy’ Hughes Breaks With Masseur, Barrier Daily Truth (Broken Hill, NSW), 14 October 1949, p. 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141536205

[4] Fitzhardinge, Australian Dictionary of Biopgraphy,

[5] Professional Rugby, Referee (Sydney, NSW), 15 January 1908, p.10 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article120338923

[6] The Killara Golf Club: A Timeline From Early Beginnings to 2024. Killara Golf Club website.

[7] Sacrilege At Canberra,Referee (Sydney, NSW),  24 June 1937, p. 33.

[8] Billy Hughes Is 79, Sunday Times (Perth, WA),  26 September 1943, p. 2: 2. Web. 1 Jun 2026

[9] Billy Hughes Gets A Ducking, Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), 23 February 1944, p.

[10] Billy Hughes Stories Have Already Become Legends,  The Sun (Sydney, NSW),  28 October 1952, p. 18

[11] Only One Australian P.M. Took Keen Interest In Golf, The Evening Advocate (Innisfail, Qld),  6 January 1954, p. 6

[12] Billy As A Billiardist,  Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld), 29 December 1927, p. 7

[13] Billy Takes His Cues,  Worker (Brisbane, Qld),  23 December 1946, p. 5

[14] Saturday’s League Matches , The Canberra Times, 21 May 1927,  p. 3.

[15] “W.M.H. Kicks Off Again” Smith’s Weekly (Sydney, NSW),  23 July 1938, p. 1

[16] Rugby Union,  Referee (Sydney, NSW), 3 July 1918, p. 9

[18] Recruiting Policy, The Muswellbrook Chronicle (NSW), 7 July 1917, p. 3. .

[19] Governor-General’s Speech, Senate Hansard, 11 July 1917, p. 7

[20] Senator Albert Gardner, Governor-General’s Speech: Address-In-Reply, Senate Hansard, 11 July 1917, p. 16

[19] Recruiting. The Sydney Morning Herald,  27 July 1917, p. 7

[20] Restriction Of Sport, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic), 8 August 1917,  p. 8

[21] Xavier Fowler, Sport and The Australian War Effort During The First World War: Concord And Conflict, PhD Thesis, University of Melbourne, 2018, p. 167

[22] Militia Needs Sportsmen– W M. Hughes, The Sun (Sydney, NSW), 25 December 1938, p. 30

[23] Anti Violence, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic), 11 December 1917, p. 7.

[24] Dale Blair and Rob Hess, Australian Rules Football and the First World War, Cham, Switzerland, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017,  p. 123

[25] Blair and Hess, p. 13

[26] Team For Olympic Games, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic), 30 April 1930,  p. 9.