| Paterson Clarence Hughes | |
|---|---|
Paterson Clarence Hughes in 1940 |
|
| Born | 19 September 1917 Cooma, New South Wales Australia |
| Died | 7 September 1940 (aged 22) Sundridge, Kent, England |
| Allegiance | Australia United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Australian Air Force Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1937 – 1940 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Flight Lieutenant Paterson Clarence Hughes DFC (19 September 1917 – 7 September 1940) was a Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot, assigned to the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain in World War II.
The top-scoring Australian flying ace of the Battle of Britain and one of the 24 Australians who lost their lives during the battle,[1] Hughes has been described as the "real driving force behind No. 234 Squadron RAF."[2]
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The son of a school teacher, also called Paterson Clarence Hughes and his wife Caroline Vennel, Pat was the youngest child of a family of five boys and seven girls, born in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, on 19 September 1917. Pat was educated at Cooma Public School, and after the family moved to the Haberfield suburb of Sydney when he was 12 he attended the Petersham Boys’ School, and then Fort Street High School until aged 17.
Hughes wanted a career in the military, and applied for both the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force. While undergoing the application process and awaiting the outcomes, Hughes worked at Saunders' Jewellers in Sydney. Accepted for both services, he choose to train as a pilot with the RAAF at RAAF Point Cook, based in a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria—during which, as an accomplished photographer, he took many photographs of base life. Hughes was trained to fly in de Havilland Gipsy Moths, Avro Cadets, and then onto Westland Wapitis, Hawker Demons as well as with Supermarine Seagull V.[3] After graduation, he applied and was selected with a number of others to transfer to the Royal Air Force under a special Short Service Commission Scheme, sailing for England on 9 January 1937.
Always a proud Australian, Hughes always wore the slightly darker blue uniform of the RAAF throughout his service with the RAF, but with RAF insignia. After two years training as a fighter pilot he was a member of No. 64 Squadron RAF at RAF Church Fenton when World War II began in September 1939.
On 6 November, Hughes was promoted to acting Flight Lieutenant within the newly formed No. 234 Squadron at RAF Leconfield alongside Bob Doe, and it was in the local town of Beverley in February 1940 that Hughes met Kathleen Brodrick of Kingston upon Hull in the Beverley Arms Hotel. No. 234 had originally been equipped on formation with Fairey Battles, Bristol Blenheims and Gloster Gauntlets, but retrained in March 1940 with Supermarine Spitfires. After helping to set up No.247 (China British) Squadron at Roborough, Plymouth he rejoined No. 234 squadron as it was transferred to RAF St Eval in Cornwall in June 1940,[4] and on 1 August Hughes married Kay (Kathleen Agnes Brodrick) in the local registry office.
The Battle of Britain began in July 1940, and Hughes was credited with the first confirmed kill for the squadron with the shooting down of a Junkers Ju 88 near Lands End on 8 July, and a half on 28 July.[5]
The duties of No. 234 included providing air cover for No. 10 Squadron RAAF's base at RAF Mount Batten in Plymouth,[6] who flew long distance missions over the Atlantic Ocean and into the Mediterranean Sea. As a result, in August No. 234 transferred to RAF Middle Wallop in Hampshire. It was during this next three week period, using the aggressive tactic deployed by other great aces of getting in close to achieve a kill and which may ultimately have led to his death, that Hughes became recognised as the driving force behind the achievements of No. 234 Squadron.
Starting on 15 August, in one of the most costly engagements of the Battle of Britain, Hughes claimed a double victory over two Messerschmitt Me 110s. His double success continued on 18 and 26 August, making him a fighter ace and for which he was awarded his Distinguished Flying Cross. He claimed more doubles on 4, 5 and 6 September; bringing his official tally to 13 and two half victories.
In early evening of 7 September, No. 234 ran into a force of 60 German aircraft consisting of Dornier Do 17s and escorting Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Hughes was leading his Section in Spitfire X4009 and dived to attack the bombers. The official RAF report states that after Hughes attacked a Do 17 from close range, a large section of the bomber broke away and appeared to hit Hughes' Spitfire, which crashed into Darks Farm in the village of Bessels Green, Kent. Hughes exited the aircraft, but his parachute failed to open, and his body was found in the garden of a house in the nearby village of Sundridge. The official record shows that Hughes died around 18.30 hrs. It should also be noted that in the same action, the Squadron Leader of No. 234 O’Brien also died.
At this point, Hughes official record showed 14 victories, and two half victories, but posthumously he was awarded another half victory for the shooting down of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, the famous "One That Got Away" Axis PoW. Originally credited fully to Basil Gerald 'Stapme' Stapleton who finished von Werra's Bf 109 off, Hughes final DFC citation awarded him a half credit in the London Gazette of 22 October 1940. After escaping from British POW camps several times, von Werra was shipped off to Canada. After escaping from a moving train at night, he crossed the frozen St Lawrence River in a stolen rowing boat to freedom in the then neutral United States. Repatriated to Germany, von Werra fought in Russia during Operation Barbarossa, returning to Holland with Jagdgeschwader 53 he disappeared while on a routine patrol north of Vlissingen on 25 October 1941, probably due to engine failure.
A war widow after only five weeks of marriage, Kay decided to bury her husband in her local parish church. After a service at St James', Sutton-on-Hull, on 13 September 1940, Hughes was buried with full military honors in the churchyard. His marble grave stone does not show his nationality, but like the majority killed during World War II that he was a serving pilot in the RAF. The grave was tended by the local sub-branch of the Spitfire Society, and is now cared for by a local couple.[7] Hughes DFC and other service medals are held in the collection of the Australian War Memorial, in Canberra.[2]
In Australia, Hughes is commemorated at Christ's Church, Kiama, with a memorial tablet placed by his sister Muriel Tongue, which reads: "This panel is dedicated to the memory of F/Lt P C Hughes DFC killed in action Battle of Britain 7 September 1940. Aged 23." A special memorial depicting his aircraft and the area of his major operations, was unveiled and dedicated at Monaghan Hayes Place, Cooma, on 26 March 1998, in the presence of members of the Spitfire Association.
In England, on the 65th anniversary of Hughes death, brothers Desmond and Tony Hall unveiled a plaque on the wall of the bungalow where Hughes body fell. The brothers father, who watched Hughes last dog fight, was always adamant that Hughes purposefully rammed the Dornier in order to bring it down. With the assistance of The Battle of Britain Historical Society and in a service attended by 70 people, the local vicar Reverend David Attwood gave a prayer and reading. Followed by The Last Post, a minutes silence was ended by the playing of Reveille, which resulted in the unveiling of the plaque, and the laying of a wreath. After a flypast by a Percival Proctor from a local flying club, a reception was held at Shoreham Aircraft Museum.[2]
NOTE: this table is not complete in numbers or detail, but if you can add to it or simply confirm types, please do so - Thank You!
| Date | Service | Flying | Kills | Probables | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 July 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Junkers Ju 88 | flying from RAF St Eval | |
| 28 July 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1/2 * Junkers Ju 88 | ||
| 15 August 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * Messerschmitt Me 110 | flying from RAF Middle Wallop | |
| 18 August 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * unknown | ||
| 26 August 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * unknown | ||
| 4 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * unknown | ||
| 5 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * unknown 1/2 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 |
1/2 claim was posthumous acknowledgement in shooting down of Obr Lt Franz von Werra | |
| 6 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 2 * Messerschmitt Bf 109[8] | ||
| 7 September 1940 | Royal Air Force | Spitfire | 1 * Dornier Do 17 | KiA over Kent, when piece of bomber hits his aeroplane. Body found Sundridge, Kent after parachute fails to open | |
| TOTALS | 14 + 3 * 1/2 kills | 0 probable |