A Spitfire Pilot's Story: Pat Hughes: Battle of Britain Top Gun
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For minor crimes men had to pay,
So the Crown transported John Nicholls
And bound him for Botany Bay.
‘So John was shoved down in the dungeon
Of a boat, with chains round his feet,
Sailed with Captain Phillip’s flotilla,
(Old ships – later called “The First Fleet”).
And John stepped ashore at Port Jackson,
As Albion’s flag was unfurled,
Not knowing that one day his grandchild,
Would help save old Albion’s world.
‘John served out his time as a convict,
He found a nice girl whom he wed,
Was granted some acres at Prospect,
Toiled hard on his farm and then bred.
Like Nicholls, his children were clever,
The Lord forgave John for his sins,
And Pat Hughes was Nicholl’s great-grandson,
And that’s where my story begins.
‘Pat Hughes first saw daylight in Cooma,
But didn’t stay long in the cold,
The Hugheses then moved up to Sydney,
A town for the robust and bold.
Young Pat shone at surfing and rugby,
But life often springs a surprise,
For Destiny’s diary was calling,
And Pat’s heart was high in the skies.
‘He attended Air Force Staff College,
Though outdated, Pat didn’t care,
He flew only tortoise-like bi-planes,
But Pat Hughes was up in the air.
In London the “RAF” was recruiting,
He applied in May thirty-eight,
And then he set off for old England,
That moment Pat settled his fate.
‘Pat was a natural-born flyer,
Knew tactics, manoeuvres and bombs.
Instead of Pat learning from others,
He found he was teaching the Poms!
His uniform never was British,
He always wore Aussie-style blue,
His accent was typically Sydney,
Not, “pip-pip old chap, toodeloo”.
‘A dog, name of Butch, was Pat’s mascot,
He followed his mate everywhere,
And sometimes when no-one was watching,
Pat took old Butch up in the air.
But training and fun days were ending,
In Europe the Nazis had won,
Then Hitler’s eyes turned upon England,
The Battle of Britain begun.
‘Soon Pat became surrogate leader,
Though no braid was sewn on his arm,
To Hell men would follow this Aussie,
A skipper with toughness and charm.
He led by his own brave example,
He bent them like slaves to his will:
(“If we lose there’ll be no tomorrow,
The name of the game is to kill.”)
‘“Get close to the bastards, I tell you,
So close that propellers can kiss,
Then give ‘em your whole ammunition,
I promise you boys, you can’t miss.
For we have the home-ground advantage,
The Spitfire’s the very best plane,
But if by some chance you should crash it,
Then bail out, and go up again.”
‘The future of freedom was doubtful,
For three months the world held its breath,
As daring lads soared into battle
And flew with their co-pilot, Death.
They fought without thought of survival
Limbs weary, nerves tattered and torn,
Not knowing if they’d be returning,
Or if they’d be dead the next morn.
‘T’was high over verdant south England,
The stage where this drama was played,
The sky was alight with the carnage,
And down on the ground people prayed.
Pat moved his plane closer and closer,
He looked his foe full in the eyes,
The gun would deliver his message,
Pat Hughes was the king of the skies.
‘The Luftwaffe started to worry,
They’d not lost a battle before,
They started to learn what defeat meant,
There’s no second prize in a war!
“They’ve run out of planes,” said H. Goering,
(Though he was a bit of a clown),
“Must be ghosts up there,” said his airmen,
‘Cause somebody’s shooting us down!”
‘While battle was raging Pat married,
Sweet Kathy caused Pat’s heart to sing,
They both lived their lives for the moment,
Who knew what tomorrow would bring?
Though Pat was the idol of females,
His pretty young bride didn’t mind,
With Pat on her arm she’d go strolling,
While dear old Butch trotted behind.
‘But even the toughest feel pressure,
When playing a game they daren’t lose,
And rumours were constantly flying,
“The Doc reckons Pat’s on the booze!”
Pat had a few beers, that’s admitted,
I guess you and I’d do the same,
When each single sortie spells danger,
And killing’s the name of the game.
‘But Pat never cared about rumours,
He continued as he began,
And his squadron cheerfully followed,
The kid that they called “the old man”.
In eight weeks he’d shot fourteen Germans,
This grand “old man”, aged twenty-four,
Of all the RAF’s publicised heroes,
Pat Hughes was on top of the score.
‘On September seventh, a battle
Saw Pat up and into the chase,
“Get close to the bastard,” he whispered,
But “the bastard” blew up in his face.
He nose-dived, cartwheeling and turning,
“Hey, Pat’s going down,” someone cried.
The Spitfire spun round in its torment
Smashed deep in the ground and Pat died.
‘Pat’s wife had a bad premonition,
When that morning Butch disappeared,
Then later that day Kathy heard it,
The news that she always had feared.
The squadron looked hard for the Airedale,
They called and they whistled in vain,
That day they lost leader and mascot,
For Butch was not heard of again.
‘The battle went on ‘til November,
A Czech was claimed No. 1 Ace,
Though Pat died in early September,
He still ended up in third place.
The tide to the British was turning,
The Germans were now on the run,
Then Hitler’s hate turned towards Russia,
The Battle of Britain was won.
‘You quiz me on who was the greatest!
That’s something we’d all like to know.
The Ace of the Battle of Britain —
The Czech, Bader, Townsend, or Doe?
When I posed this question to vet’rans,
They seemed to have total recall,
With no, hesitation they answered,
“Pat Hughes was the best of them all”.
‘Pat’s medal from Buckingham Palace,
Was awarded posthumously,
He lies in a churchyard in Yorkshire
And lives in the hearts of the free.
You ask me what happened to Butch, sir?
A riddle I cannot explain.
P’haps he died of a dog’s broken heart,
Or perished with Pat in the plane.
‘The rest, as they say, sir, is hist’ry,
Misty times, six decades ago,
Now rockets can fly without pi
lots,
And Spitfires are only for show.
But if you should journey to Britain,
I’ll tell you, sir, what you will see,
A land green and cold – but it’s lovely,
A sky often grey – but it’s free.
‘I hope Pat is somewhere up yonder,
Above in the heavenly blue,
And knows his account is in credit,
That many owe much to so few.
So let’s lift our glass up to heroes,
Great people, whomever we choose.
We’ll then have a toast to Australia!
And let’s have a beer for Pat Hughes.’
I had one more drink then I left him,
For I had some clients to phone,
I stood in the cold Cooma evening
And felt very sad and alone.
We often feel we are important
We think times are tough, though they’re not,
For compared to those gone before us,
Our deeds hardly matter a jot.
‘Our lives were not meant to be easy’,
A saying oft-used though profound,
For some life is lengthy but boring,
They stay with their feet on the ground.
For others adventure is calling,
They gamble; they win or they lose,
We can stay on safe terra firma
Or fly to the stars – like Pat Hughes.
1. Pat Hughes after graduation from Point Cook. (Bill Hughes, Dimity Torbett, Stephanie Bladen, David Hughes, Laurence Lucas)
2. Point Cook, Wednesday 11 March 1936, Pat Hughes’ diary entry about his first solo. ‘I went mad, whistled, sang and almost jumped for joy.’ (Stephanie Bladen)
3. Point Cook, Tuesday 21 April 1936, Pat Hughes’ diary entry about his first crash. ‘Positively an unlucky day … I careered down to the deck and turned up on my nose in A7-40. I have requested permission to obtain damaged propeller.’ (Stephanie Bladen)
4. Point Cook, Thursday 7 May 1916, Pat Hughes’ diary entry about low flying and camera gun practice. ‘Just imagine sitting on a chap’s tail pouring a stream of hot lead into him and seeing his plane catch on fire. Makes out that I’m a pretty bloody fellow. I’m not.’ (Stephanie Bladen)
5. A portrait of Kathleen. Pat Hughes met her at the Beverley Arms. He found out that her name was Kathleen, but her friends called her Kay. (Dimity Torbett, Stephanie Bladen)
6. A copy of Pat and Kay Hughes’ Marriage Certificate. The couple were married in Bodmin Register Office on 1 August 1940 with strangers (except for Flying Officer Butch) as witnesses. (Bodmin Register Office)
7. Spitfires claw for height over an incoming raid, striving to climb above the bombers and take on the German escort fighters. As the Battle of Britain progressed, RAF tactics revolved around the faster Spitfires engaging the escorting Me 109s and Me 110s while Hurricanes attacked the bombers. A painting by Gordon Olive. (Rick Olive)
8. Looking for the enemy. A pencil sketch by Pat Hughes’ Point Cook classmate, Gordon Olive. The need for vigilance was drummed into every pilot. ‘Never stop looking around’, they were told. ‘Many pilots shot down never saw the enemy fighter that got them. Out of every five minutes on patrol four should be spent looking over your shoulders. Whether you are by yourself or with a hundred others, never stop looking around.’ (Beryl Olive)
9. Spitfires carrying out a formal No. 1 Attack, diving line astern into a web of tracer bullets. The thin, dead straight, white pencil line streaks of tracer could have a curious negative effect as they flashed across in front leaving their trails – even the old trails could somehow seem lethal. A painting by Gordon Olive. (Maria Marchant)
10. Richard Hardy’s captured Spitfire. In the running fight on 15 August 1940, 234 Squadron’s Red Section was overwhelmed by enemy fighters. Hardy’s Spitfire was hit and he was wounded in the shoulder, probably by a cannon shell which hit struck the fuselage just behind the pilot’s seat. Injured, short of fuel and far out to sea near the French coast, he headed for the nearest land where he managed to touch down safely on Cherbourg-East/Theville airfield, much to the astonishment of the Germans on the ground. (ww2images.com)
11. Pat Hughes’ grave, carefully tended over the years by Mr Bert Knowes, Norman and Margery Shirtliff of Hull and also by Mrs Jean Holmes of Barton-on-Humber, apparently on behalf of the Spitfire Society. Both Margery and Jean corresponded for many years with Pat’s closest sister, Constance Torbett, until her death at the age of ninety-five in 2010. Constance remained very grateful to them for their care and for the fresh flowers they laid there. (Dimity Torbett, Stephanie Bladen)
12. The memorial plaque on the wall of the house identifying where Pat Hughes fell into the backyard garden. The resident in 1940 was William Norman. (Malcolm Booth)
13. The telegram sent to the Lucas family informing them of Pat Hughes’ death. (Laurence Lucas)
14. Pat Hughes’ medals. Bill Hughes donated his brother’s DFC and campaign medals to the Australian War Memorial for display. A photograph of them was placed on the dust jacket cover of A Few of ‘The Few’ – Australians and the Battle of Britain, the book published by the Australian War Memorial to mark the fiftieth Anniversary of the battle. (Author’s collection)
15. Lost for many years, Pat Hughes’ posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross and service medals eventually came into the possession of his closest brother, Bill (mentioned as Will), who donated them to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Bill is shown here displaying them at his Beacon Hill home in Sydney in 1988. (Author’s collection)
16. The cover of the Pat Hughes Memorial Stone Service of 23 August 2008. Dedication of the Memorial Stone and the Memorial Stone Service were carried out by Shoreham Aircraft Museum in Sevenoaks on the initiative of the curator, renowned aviation artist Geoff Nutkins. (via Stephanie Bladen)
17. The Pat Hughes Memorial at Cooma NSW. This memorial was dedicated to him in Monahan Hayes Place in 2006. It is in the form of a glass topped font which contains the model of a Spitfire and a picture of Pat’s last photograph. (via Stephanie Bladen, Laurence Lucas)
18. Pat Hughes’ parents: Caroline Christina (née Vennel) and Paterson Clarence ‘Percy’ Hughes. (Dimity Torbett)
19. Family snap: Pat Hughes (right) with his brother William. William, of course, was usually called ‘Bill’ by his friends and relatives, but in his letters Pat addressed him as ‘Will’. (Dimity Torbett)
20. Family snap: Pat Hughes with his sisters Marjorie (left) and Constance. (Dimity Torbett)
21. ‘A’ Course January 1936 entry at RAAF Point Cook. Left to right, back row: Cadets Paine, Rogers, Robertson, Dillon, Cooper, Jackson, Sladin, Fowler, Kinane, Good and Cameron. Centre row: Cadets Cosgrove, Yates, Hullock, Hughes, Armstrong, Wight, Grey-Smith, Gilbert, Power, Kelaher, Sheen and Brough. Front row: Cadets Johnson, Kaufman, McDonough, Boehm, Allsop, Hartnell, Olive, Marshall, Mace, Campbell and Eaton. Most subsequently had distinguished careers of in the RAAF and RAF. Of them, Pat Hughes, Gordon Olive, Desmond Sheen and Dick Power flew in the Battle of Britain. (RAAF Museum)
22. Pat Hughes at Point Cook. (Dimity Torbett)
23. Pat’s mother, Pete Pettigrew, Marge and Bill at Pat’s departure for England. (Bill Hughes)
24. Pat aboard the RMS Narkunda as the ship departs from Wharf No. 21 Pyrmont, Sydney, 9 January 1937. (Bill Hughes)
25. At sea: Desmond Sheen (right) and Bob Cosgrove in the swimming pool on the RMS Narkunda, photographed by Pat Hughes. (via Dimity Torbett)
26. Pat Hughes in a quiet mood at Uxbridge. (Bill Hughes)
27. Hawker Hart, photographed by Pat Hughes. (via Dimity Torbett)
28. Hawker Hurricane prototype K5083, photographed at Martlesham Heath by Pat Hughes. One of the Hawker test pilots who flew this machine regularly was South Australian, Richard Carew Reyell, who was killed in action on the same day as Pat. (via Dimity Torbett)
29. Vickers Wellington prototype K4049, photographed at Mart
lesahm Heath by Pat Hughes. The Wellington was one of the classic RAF bombers of the Second World War. It carried the lion’s share of Bomber Command’s night offensive until the introduction later of the four–engined Short Stirling, Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster heavy bombers and was still in front line service at the end of the war. (via Dimity Torbett)
30. Pat Hughes at Martlesahm Heath carrying out some repairs to his normal mode of transportation. (Stephanie Bladen)
31. Pat Hughes (right) with 64 Squadron pilots. (Bill Hughes)
32. Pat Hughes in front of tent. Two of Pat’s nephews later served in the RAAF: the late Air Vice Marshal. H. A. (Bill) Hughes of Canberra; and the late Wing Commander John Hughes of Perth, Western Australia. (Stephanie Bladen)
33. Pat Hughes in his RAAF uniform in the UK. George Bailey and Keith Lawrence recalled that Pat made a point of normally wearing his original dark blue RAAF uniform with gold stripes. Australian pilots serving in the RAF under the pre-war Short Service Commission Scheme were permitted to wear their RAAF uniforms, and most chose to do so. (Laurence Lucas)
34. Bristol Blenheim If fighter. Note the belly pack of four .303-inch Browning machine guns. The pack was bolted on under the Blenheim’s bomb bay which stored four belts of ammunition, each containing 500 rounds. (IWM via John Hamilton)
35. Bristol Blenheim Mk.I bomber in flight with no gun pack. Pre-war, the twin-engine Blenheim bomber was regarded as a modern aircraft with an outstanding performance. It was capable of easily overtaking the Gloster Gladiator, the RAF’s main pre-war single-seat biplane fighter. (RAAF Museum)