John Hughes, an engineer from Merthyr Tydfil, went to Imperial Russia in the 1870s. On the wide empty plains - the steppes - of the southern Ukraine, he set up an ironworks which developed into a huge industrial complex. Around the works grew up a town: Hughesovka. More about John Hughes
A
view of the Hughesovka works, 1912
David Waters, originally from Swansea, and his children, all born
in Hughesovka
Most of the technical and engineering staff for the works came from Britain - many from Wales. Many took their families to Hughesovka, and some stayed there for years, establishing a thriving expatriate community. More about British families at Hughesovka
Then in 1917 came the Russian revolution. Most of the British families left Hughesovka and returned home. The works was taken over by the state and Hughesovka was renamed Stalino, and later on Donetsk. It is still a major industrial centre, one of the most important in the region.
View
of Donetsk, 1991
The Glamorgan Record Office has collected together a large number of records relating to Hughesovka in the Hughesovka Research Archive. It contains material relating to John Hughes and his family, the works and the town, the British families who lived there, and more - and includes hundreds of fascinating photographs. The collection illustrates the achievements of one of the highly skilled Welsh emigrants who founded and developed industries around the world.
More about the Glamorgan Record Office and Hughesovka