Public relations officer, journalist.
Born at London, England, he came to Manitoba in 1923 to farm in the Killarney area. Five years later, he moved to Winnipeg and spent 27 years as Director of Public Relations for the Winnipeg Electric Company. During the Second World War, he served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers. He was taken prisoner in Hong Kong and spent three and a half years as a prisoner of war. In 1954, he formed his own communications company specializing in employee relations, business management, and public relations.
In 1961, he joined the editorial staff of the Winnipeg Tribune and became its Associate Editor in 1966. For four years, he wrote a “Times and Tides” column on political, economic, social, and human problems. He was a member of the Winnipeg branch of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs for 34 years and served on its executive for 20 years. He wrote Whatever Men Dare - A History of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada (1935-1960).
On 24 November 1931, he married Katherine Gloria Queen, daughter of John Queen, and hyphenated his surname with hers. They had a daughter. In 1956, they purchased 697 Wellington Crescent, which had previously been used as a boarding house, and restored it into a 22-room mansion with six fireplaces, parquet floors, glass conservatory, and grand staircase.
He died at his Winnipeg home on 19 July 1970 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Leslie House (697 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg)
“R. W. Queen-Hughes, editorial writer, dies,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 July 1970, page 20.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 22 July 1970, page 32.
We thank Joy Hodgkinson for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 11 January 2021
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