Hugh Nesham was the son of barrister Charles Nesham, who was an all-round sportsman who rowed for Trinity Hall, Cambridge, played cricket, hockey and golf, and was five times the national archery champion. His mother was also a proficient archer and regularly competed in the National Championships meeting. Hugh Nesham was a member of the Royal Toxophilite Society and won the national title 1907. He became a major in the Royal Field Artillery and was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He obtained his pilot’s licence in 1912 and, that same year, won the Southern Counties Archery Championship, and two years later captured the national title again.