Thanks to all for your helpful information. To assemble various pieces in the puzzle, I can confirm that Mrs Mary Elizabeth Hughes and six children left Silvertown UK on SS Beltana (as noted by Essie and cando) and arrived in Port Adelaide in May 1927, just 6 months before the courtcase noted by cando. One of the six (Thomas James Hughes 12 y-o) was my father. The family including TH (my GF) lived in Coburg Road Alberton, initially. Later, Mary and children resided in Quebec St and Dale St, Port Adelaide at various times thereafter. The last record I can find of TH is in the 1931 issue of the SA Directory published by Sands and McDougall. Presumably he left the family in about 1930 and moved out of SA (hence no death record or inquest despite oral family history of his supposed death by accident on the wharf). TJH (my father) worked in Port Adelaide as a cycle mechanic and enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy 2-9-1939. He was discharged due to ill-health soon after, then served in the RAN Reserve. He died on 11-1-1957 and was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery (as noted by CassT). His mother died 6-11-1947 (noted by Sashar) and is also buried there (again as noted by CassT), along with daughter Dorothy Rose and son-in-law Lionel Kerr. Her son-in-law Harry Butler (wife Kathleen) and grandson John are in the adjoining grave. The parents of TH (GF) were Thomas Hughes (born 19-2-1871 in Bootle cum Linacre) and Elizabeth Ann White (born 8-3-1872 in Canning Town), married 23-11-1890, St Like's Church, Victoria Docks. TH and ME Thomas married 2-9-1910 in the Registry Office, West Ham, as noted by cando. As a matter of interest, my GF is not the Thomas Hughes, coxswain Harbors Board launch, mentioned in the newspaper Advertiser 31-10-1927. This TH resided in Hargrave St, Birkenhead, a nearby suburb adjoining the Port River.
I thought for a time that the family mentioned by cando (Charles Hughes and Elizabeth Kirkland) were my relatives but after more searching I abandoned this idea. Nevertheless, this couple have an interesting family history - Charles was an engine driver and he may have met his future wife through her father who also worked on the railways. This family lived in Cowlairs Road, Springburn, Scotland near a major train station and works depot.
Back to the drawing board - when and how did TH (GF) arrive in SA from UK, and when and where did he die? lilpurplepearl may have the clue.
