Hubert Francis; he was born in 1897 the second son of Francis Granville Lewis Lucas (and a grandson of Sir Thomas Lucas 1st Baronet Lucas, of Ashtead Park, Surrey), and was educated at Harrow School. He joined the Royal Engineers and served in Mesopotamia from 31-5-16; his medal index card indicates that he was entitled to Emblems although no trace of a mention in despatches has (yet) been located; he was also entitled to the General Service Medal (bars: Iraq and Kurdistan).
In 1920 he married Evelyn Irene Sophie Phipps-Hornby who was the daughter of Brig.-Gen. Edmund John Phipps-Hornby, VC. He continued to serve in the Royal Engineers after the war and was promoted Captain in 1922, and in 1923 was appointed Adjutant. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1926 in the King's Birthdays Honours list. In 1930 he was appointed an Assistant Instructor at Sandhurst and in 1932 was appointed a Brigade Major with 5th Infantry Brigade (which appointment was relinquished in 1934). In 1937 he was appointed a General Staff Officer 2nd grade with a local rank of Lieutenant Colonel -- this substantive rank was confirmed in 1939.
As a Brigadier, he served as Officer-in-charge of Administration HQ Malaya Command and was taken prisoner in Singapore on 15th February 1942 and was held in turn at Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and Manchuria.
Some papers of Brigadier Lucas are in the National Archives of Singapore (lent from the Imperial War Museum). The records contain papers including a small diary and a brief note on the events of 15th February 1942. On 16th, he visited Japanese Headquarters at the Ford Motor Works with Torrance and Newbiggin to get orders. On the 17th, orders were given to march to Changi, but Heads of Staff spent the night at Fort Canning. On the 18th, they marched to Changi. There is a letter to his wife (dated 15th February) describing conditions in Singapore, particularly in Chinatown.
(Accession Number: IWM 90/2/1)
There is a drawing of Lucas by Vaughan Murray Griffin (a noted Australian War Artist who was taken PoW) in the archives of the Australian War Memorial.
Brigadier Lucas was awarded the CBE in 1946 (LG 1st August). He retired in 1955 and died in 1990.
Documents available: Medal Index Card; Prisoner of War roll page; Japanese PoW card; London Gazette page(s)
Condition: GVF (BWM toned); please see photographs for detail
