Pat Hughes (aviator)
| Paterson Clarence Hughes | |
|---|---|
Pat Hughes, 1940
|
|
| Born | 19 September 1917 Cooma, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 7 September 1940 (aged 22) Sundridge, Kent, England |
| Allegiance | Australia United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
Royal Australian Air Force (1936–37) Royal Air Force (1937–40) |
| Years of service | 1936–40 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Service number | 39461 (RAF) |
| Unit |
No. 64 Squadron RAF (1937–39) No. 234 Squadron RAF (1939–40) |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
World War II
Paterson Clarence "Pat" Hughes, DFC (19 September 1917 – 7 September 1940) was an Australian fighter ace of World War II. Serving with the Royal Air Force (RAF), he was credited with as many as seventeen aerial victories during the Battle of Britain, before being killed in action on 7 September 1940. His tally made him the highest-scoring Australian of the battle, and among the three highest-scoring Australians of the war.
Born in Cooma, New South Wales, Hughes joined the Royal Australian Air Force as a cadet in 1936. After graduating as a pilot, he chose to take a commission with the RAF. In July 1937, he was assigned to No. 64 Squadron, which operated Hawker Demon and, later, Bristol Blenheim fighters. Posted to No. 234 Squadron following the outbreak of World War II, Hughes began flying Supermarine Spitfires as a flight commander. He shared in his unit's first aerial victory on 8 July 1940, and began scoring heavily against the Luftwaffe the following month. Known for his practice of attacking his targets at extremely close range, Hughes is generally thought to have died after his Spitfire was struck by flying debris from a German bomber that he had just shot down. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and was buried in England.
Paterson Clarence Hughes was born in Numeralla, near Cooma, New South Wales, on 19 September 1917. He was the second-youngest of twelve children, the last of four boys in his family. Hughes' father was a teacher by profession but at the time of Pat's birth was running the community post office; christened Percival Clarence Hughes, and known as Percy, he had apparently adopted the name Paterson by the time of his marriage to Catherine Vennell in 1895. Percy was also a writer, contributing to newspapers and magazines such as The Bulletin, and "Paterson" may have been homage to the poet Banjo Paterson. In any case, Pat shared his father's interest in literature. He also grew to love the landscape of the local Monaro district in the shadow of the Snowy Mountains, which he described as "unrivalled in the magnificence and grandeur of its beauty".
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