John Hugo Dean was born at Aston Heath on 7th June 1892 and baptised at St Peter’s in the village on 26th June of that year. He was the son of John Dean (born Preston Brook) and his wife Edith Ann (nee Hughes) who was born at Hoylake.
In 1901 they were living at Aston Heath where the father was employed as a platelayer. John Hugo had an older brother Herbert (Johnson) aged thirteen years and a sister Dorothy (Farrington) who was seven years old. Herbert was already apprenticed as a painter.
During the next decade the family continued to live at Aston Heath and by 1911 John Hugo was a chemist, but out of employment. Herbert was working as a joiner on the local estate.
It is not clear when John Hugo enlisted, however he did join the 1st Labour Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment as a private. He was given the service number 80371. By August 1917 he was deemed to be no longer physically fit for war service and became a war pensioner at the age of 25 years. He had been suffering from neurasthenia (fatigue, stress) which was diagnosed by a Special Medical Board. It was stated that this condition was not due to, but was aggravated by his military service. He had suffered prior to the war. He was discharged from military service at Preston and returned home. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his war service.
John Hugo Dean died on 23rd November 1917 at The Lord Derby War Hospital at Winwick near Warrington. He was aged 25 years and was buried in Aston-by-Sutton churchyard. By this time his brother Herbert had died in Gibraltar (in 1915) and his father had passed away earlier in 1917. His mother was living at Meadow Leas in Aston Heath. She died in 1932.
John Hugo Dean is commemorated on the War Memorial in Aston-by-Sutton.