UK honours Cooma hero

[Kyt]

UK honours Cooma hero - Local News - News - General - Cooma Monaro Express

A COOMA born and bred digger, who died almost 70 years ago when his spitfire aeroplane crashed in England, will be honoured at a memorial service on the weekend in the UK.

Flight Lieutenant Paterson Clarence Hughes, born in Cooma on September 19, 1917, is regarded as a World War II hero, being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Flt. Lt. Hughes died 12 days prior to his 23rd birthday, on September 7, 1940, following the first mass daylight raid on London by the German Luftwaffe.

His plane crashed after leading a squadron of Supermarine Spitfires to intercept and engage with 350 enemy bombers and more than 600 escorting fighters escaping to France following the raid.

Flt. Lt. Hughes will be recognised for his efforts at the Shoreham Aircraft Museum, Kent, which will hold a Thanksgiving and Dedication of Stone ceremony on Saturday.

Cooma RSL Club member and one of the co-builders of the Pat Hughes Memorial at Montague Hayes Place, Laurie Warne said he was proud Flt. Lt. Hughes was receiving this honour - 68 years after he died.

"On behalf of the other guys who helped build the Cooma monument (in 2003), Dennis Minahan, Stan Howard and Ian Deegan, and all the members of the RSL, we appreciate and are proud that Pat Hughes will receive this recognition. The war hero was honoured in September 2006 when a memorial ceremony was held in Cooma.

'Pat', as he was more affectionately known, went to Cooma Public School and lived at the Mittagang Road property 'Bulong'. He then moved to Sydney with his family in the early 1930s and attended the prestigious Fort Street High School.

Even as a teenager living in Sydney, Flt. Lt. Hughes was interested in flying, according to former school mate and Cooma resident Jock Goodwin, who said Pat enjoyed creating model Biplanes and Tiger Moth aeroplanes out of balser wood.

"Flying was rare back in the 30s but Pat was always interested in flying as a school boy," Mr Goodwin said.

"The last time I saw him was about 1931 or 1932 and I knew him very well... he was a bright spark and a practical joker," he said.

The legacy Flt. Lt. Hughes lives on through his great nephew, Malcolm Booth of Wollongong, who said the recognition at the Shoreham Aircraft Museum, was humble one for the family.

"I only know him through different stories passed down from mum and her mum, Pat's sister (Dorothy Noel) - she idolised this man out of the entire 14 kids in the family, he was the only sibling she bonded to," Mr Booth said.

"He was an incredibly warm and generous person, nan said, nothing was a trouble - he would go out of his way to help someone he didn't even know."

[Kyt]

DFC Citation

Acting Flight Lieutenant Paterson Clarence HUGHES (39461) (since killed).
This officer has led his flight with skill and determination. He has displayed gallantry
in his attacks on the enemy and has destroyed seven of their aircraft.

[Nostalgair]

Thanks for the post Kyt.

I'll have to visit the Cooma monument at some stage.

Cheers

Owen

[Antipodean Andy]

Might have a bit more to add on him tonight if I get a chance.

[Kyt]

And his victories

[Antipodean Andy]

An Australian ace who should be better known by the Australian public. Mind you, other than perhaps Caldwell and Gibbes, I cannot think of an Aussie fighter ace who is a "household name" and even those two are probably, sadly, largely forgotten now. I don't think it'd take much for them to "return" to the public eye though.

[spidge]

Paterson Clarence Hughes DFC (September 19, 1917 – September 7, 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]

Paterson Clarence Hughes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a very good piece and worth a read.

Sadly his is one gravestone I do not have as yet.

[spidge]

I forgot that I had posted this in December 2007.

"The Few" Battle of Britain Pilots

[spidge]

Originally Posted by spidge

I forgot that I had posted this in December 2007.

"The Few" Battle of Britain Pilots

The link here makes good reading.

[Nostalgair]

Thanks Spidge.

Interesting stuff.

Cheers

Owen