Victor Hugo

12 June 1915 - 23 October 2017

Victor Hugo died on 23 October 2017 at the age of 102. He was at Loughborough between 1933 and 1935 where he did Handicraft.

Victor used to recall as the end of the summer term approached in 1934, work had just begun on the Sports Stadium and Dr Schofield had the typically imaginative idea of ‘inviting’ all students to give up the first week of the long vacation, stay behind and dig large holes in designated places to the rear of Rutland Hall. Such an invitation was of course much the same as a Royal Command, so many stayed and spent an enjoyable week of hard labour in brilliant sunshine (a picture of this event was in the Alumni Magazine Issue 3, summer 1997).

During the war in June 1940, Victor was commissioned in the Royal Army Service Corps. In 1941, he spent around 2 years in transport units in the Western Desert and was involved in the advance from Alamein, eventually going all the way to Tunis. He was promoted to Major in 1943. After the war finished in North Africa, he was in due course sent to Italy where he was posted to the British Section of HQ 5th American Army, which had many British troops under its command. Throughout Victor’s four years abroad, he made many good friends in the army.

After the war, Victor’s career was in advertising, including 11 years as Manager of the Advertising Department of Vogue and three other magazines in the group. He then became the Vice-Chairman of a medium size advertising agency.

In later years, Victor had much pleasure from belonging to the Alumni Association of Loughborough and attending reunions. On 18 July 2009, Victor graduated from Loughborough with a BA Honoris Causa at the age of 94 years. His grandson, Giles Hugo graduated from Loughborough on 17 July 2009.

On his 100th birthday, Victor was so pleased to hear from Professor Robert Allison with the gift of the Loughborough University paperweight, which he treasured.