Did the First World War experience have an affect on Hugh? Yes, according to his brother, Patrick, Hugh was not the same young man on his return to Australia as the one who left. Hugh did not leave any words for the family to understand how he felt but it can be seen that Hugh was a very social young man before the war and is evident in the number of photographs he had taken with his friends. After his return he did not appear in any photographs.

Patrick once said that he, Hugh and some friends visited a pub for a quite drink when someone in the bar attempted to start a fight by shouting all who went to war were '2 bob a day murderers' (for those who don't know what a bob is, it was 1 shilling or 12 pence). Hugh became enraged at this viewpoint and would have fought it out but that Patrick and his friends pulled him back and left the pub.

On joining the AIF, Hugh first went to Lithgow for training and then to Bathurst before going to Liverpool near Sydney. Hugh left Sydney as part of the 17th Battalion, 15th Reinforcements on board HMAT "Eurepides" and disembarked at Fremantle on 17 September 1916, he was then 24 years old. He had contracted Scabies and was admitted to hospital and returned to duty on 12th October 1916.

As a Private with the 6/5th Pioneers Hugh re-embarked at Fremantle on the ship "Port Melbourne" and disembarked at Devonport on 28 December 1916.

Hugh's army record then states he proceeded overseas to France per SS "Golden Eagle" via Folkestone on 28 February 1917. There is a photo at The Australian War Memorial showing the Pioneers of the 5th Division repairing the corduroy track (Menin Road area) in Ypres, Belgium after heavy shelling at the end of October 1917. According to the War Memorial website - The Pioneers reconstructed and enlarged this section under constant shell fire. While no one was killed at this time from the shelling one man did die from heart failure. Pte H McArdle is identified in this photo.

Hugh also appears in another photo at the War Memorial, he is part of the 5th Battalion Pioneers engaged in filling in a large shell crater near La Maicourt between Flamicourt and Peronne, France in September 1918. The pioneers are in the background the main people in the photo are journalists and war correspondents some named are Mr Campbell Jones (Editor Sydney paper), Mr Knight (Editor Sydney Sun) and Mr Keith Murdoch (ACA).

Hugh returned to Australia per "Medic" from England on 10 April 1919 classified as an invalid. About the middle of January 1919 Hugh was admitted to hospital "sick" from the field to Bulford for a period of 11 days and at the end of March he was at Weymouth.

On enlistment Hugh was 5 feet 6 3/4 inches tall, weighed 9 stone with a Dark complexion, Hazel eyes and brown hair. He had a tattoo on the right forearm showing a flower, clasped hands McA and an Anchor. What these mean I have yet to find out.

Hugh was awarded the 1914/15 Star, The British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The originals were probably buried with him as no family member was given these medals and he had no descendants.

Hugh commenced working for the Railway Department in November 1907 in the Orange District by 1912 he was moved to Bourke and Cobar. In May 1913 he was working in Dubbo and by September 1913 he was at Narromine. Hugh was granted leave to join Expenditionay Forces on 29 September 1915 and resumed duties with the Railway on 16 July 1919 at Narromine. By October 1919 he was at Parkes which is where he stayed until his death in 1921. During Hugh's time at Parkes he was dismissed twice, he appealed against the first dismissal on 27 Sept 1920 and was reinstated 18 Oct 1920, and was dismissed again on 24 Nov 1920. Hugh died before the second appeal could be heard.

Hugh's obituary in "The Molong Express" is extracted below:

Death of H McArdle Tragic End at Parkes

"After surviving the perils of the war, his experiences at which, however, left their effects on him. Mr Hugh Phillip McArdle, youngest son of Mr Peter McArdle, of Molong, met his death at Parkes last Monday as a result of a fall off a balcony. The Parkes coronor held an inquiry into the circumstances, ... The Coroner found that death was caused by the dislocation of the cervical vertebrae, the result of a fall from the balcony of the Railway Hotel, but the evidence did not enable him to say whether the fall was accidental or other-wise."