A Spitfire Pilot's Story: Pat Hughes: Battle of Britain Top Gun
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11. Matching combat claims with actual losses is always open to question. According to Francis Mason in Battle Over Britain, the Ju 88 was from I/KG51 and flown by Leutnant Ruckdeschel and crew. This is disputed in Winston Ramsey’s The Battle of Britain Then and Now, which states that Leutnant Ruckdeschel was from 3/KG51 and that his plane ran out of fuel and force landed at Buckholt Farm, Bexhill, on 28 July 1940, i.e., the next day. The Blitz Then and Now by the same author/editors restates the later date and adds that a ball and socket MG15 gun mounting from the cockpit canopy of this aircraft, Ju 88A-1 9K+HL, is in Tangmere Aviation Museum.
12. PRO, Pat Hughes’ Combat Report 28.8.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
13. Ramsey, Winston (ed.), op cit., p. 550.
14. Bailey, G., Correspondence with the author, 5 January 1984.
8. THE IDES OF AUGUST
1. Doe, Bob, Bob Doe – Fighter Pilot, The Story of One of the Few (Spellmount Ltd, Tonbridge Wells, 1991), pp. 12–13.
2. See Appendix 2.
3. Mason, Francis K, Battle Over Britain (McWhirter Twins Ltd, London, 1969), pp. 570–1.
4. Baff, Flight Lieutenant K. C., Maritime is Number Ten (K. C. Baff, Netley, South Australia, 1983), pp. 41–79.
5. Newton, Dennis, A Few of ‘the Few’: Australians and the Battle of Britain (Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1990), pp. 72–3.
6. PRO, John Curchin’s Combat Report 8.8.40, AIR 50/171 65629.
7. Power, R., Correspondence with the author, 6 September 1983.
8. Willis, John quoting Alan Harker, Churchill’s Few – the Battle of Britain Remembered (Michael Joseph Ltd, London, 1985), p. 128.
9. Doe, Helen quoting Keith Lawrence, Fighter Pilot (Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2015), p. 62.
10. Willis, John quoting William Hornby, Churchill’s Few – the Battle of Britain Remembered (Michael Joseph Ltd, London, 1985), p. 128.
11. Doe, Bob, Bob Doe – Fighter Pilot, The Story of One of the Few (Spellmount Ltd, Tonbridge Wells, 1991).
9. 15 AUGUST 1940
1. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
2. Ziegler, Frank, Under the White Rose (609 Squadron) (Macdonald, London, 1971).
3. PRO, Bob Doe’s Combat Report 15.8.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
4. ibid.
5. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
6. Reeder, Joan, Woman Magazine, 15 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
7. ibid.
8. ibid.
10. 16 AUGUST 1940
1. Long, Gavin, ‘The AIF in the United Kingdom’, Australia in the War of 1939–1945 (Army) Vol. I, To Benghazi (Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1961).
2. Champ, Jack and Colin Burgess, The Diggers of Colditz (Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1985).
3. PRO, Pat Hughes’ Combat Report 16.8.40, AIR 50/89 4551; PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
4. Reeder, Joan, Woman Magazine, 15 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
5. ibid.
11. 18 AUGUST 1940
1. Wynn, Kenneth G., Men of the Battle of Britain Clasp (Gloddon Books, Norwich, Norfolk, 1989).
2. PRO, Pat Hughes’ Combat Report 18.8.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
3. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
12. 26 AUGUST 1940
1. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
2. Mason, Francis K., Battle Over Britain (McWhirter Twins Ltd, London, 1969), pp. 570–1.
3. PRO, John Curchin’s Combat Report 25.8.40, AIR 50/171 65629.
4. PRO, Pat Hughes’ Combat Report 26.8.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
5. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
13. 4 SEPTEMBER 1940
1. Sheen, Desmond, Correspondence with the author, 25 October 1983.
2. Sheen, Desmond, Correspondence with the author, 25 July 1985.
3. Newton, Dennis, A Few of ‘the Few’ – Australians and the Battle of Britain (Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1990), p. 136.
4. Jullian, Marcel, The Battle of Britain (Johnathan Cape, London, 1967); Sheen, Desmond, Correspondence with the author, 1 March 1984.
5. Newton, Dennis, op cit., p.148.
6. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
7. Hillary, Richard, The Last Enemy (Macmillan, London, 1942); Ross, David, Richard Hillary (Grub Street, London, 2000).
8. Fopp, D., Correspondence with the author, 6 November 1984.
9. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
14. 5 SEPTEMBER 1940
1. Wallace, Graham, R.A.F. Biggin Hill (Four Square, London, 1958).
2. Jullian, Marcel, The Battle of Britain (Jonathan Cape, London, 1967).
3. PRO, Pat Hughes’ Combat Report 5.9.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
4. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
5. Mason, Francis K., Battle Over Britain (McWhirter Twins Ltd, London, 1969), p. 353.
6. PRO, John Webster’s Combat Report 5.9.40, AIR 50/.
7. PRO, Pat Hughes’ Combat Report 5.9.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
8. Munday, A. E., Correspondence with the author, 14 February 1983.
9. Stitt, John L., Correspondence with the author, 20 August 1990.
10. Ramsey, Winston (ed.) , The Blitz – Then and Now Vol. 1 (After the Battle, London, London, 1987); Parker, Nigel, Luftwaffe Crash Archive Vol. 3 (Red Kite, Surrey, 2013).
11. Ross, David, Richard Hillary (Grub Street, London, 2000), pp. 139–40.
12. Wynn, Kenneth G., Men of the Battle of Britain Clasp (Gloddon Books, Norwich, 1989).
13. Parker, Nigel, op cit., pp. 330–42.
14. ibid, p. 337.
15. Price, Dr Alfred, The Luftwaffe Data Book (Greenhill Books, London, 1997).
16. Franks, Norman L. R., Wings of Freedom (William Kimber & Co. Ltd, London, 1980), pp. 82–101.
15. 6 SEPTEMBER 1940
1. PRO, Pat Hughes’ Combat Report 6.9.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
2. Parker, Nigel, Luftwaffe Crash Archive – A Documentary History of Every Enemy Aircraft Brought Down Over the United Kingdom, Red Kite, Surrey, 2013), p. 345.
3. ibid.
4. ibid, p. 352; Ramsey, Winston (ed) , The Blitz - Then and Now Vol. 1 (After the Battle, London, 1987), p. 627; PRO, Pat Hughes’ Combat Report 6.9.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
5. Franks, Norman, Wings of Freedom (William Kimber & Co. Ltd, London, 1980), pp. 82–101.
6. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
7. ibid.
8. ibid.
9. ibid.
10. Reeder, Joan, Woman Magazine, 15 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
11. Franks, Norman, op cit.
12. Willis, John, Churchill’s Few – the Battle of Britain Remembered (Michael Joseph Ltd, London, 1985), p. 128.
16. 7 SEPTEMBER 1940
1. Reeder, Joan, Woman Magazine, 15 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
2. Willis, John, Churchill’s Few (Michael Joseph, London, 1985), p. 135, Kay Hughes quoting comments from the Hull Daily Mail.
3. Semmler, Clement (ed.), The War Diaries of Kenneth Slessor (University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, 1985).
4. Willis, John, op cit.; Reeder, Joan, Woman Magazine, 15 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
17. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?
1. PRO, 234 Squadron RAF, Operations Record Book, AIR 27/1439.
2. PRO, Keith Lawrence’s Combat Report 6.9.40, AIR 50/89 4551.
3. Reeder Joan, Woman Magazine, 15 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
4. Ramsey, Winston (ed.), The Blitz Then And Now – Volume 2 September 1940 – May 1941 (After The Battle, London, 1988), p. 52.
5. ibid, pp. 52–3.
6. Mason, Francis K, Battle Over Britain (McWhirter Twins Ltd, London, 1969); p. 366.
7. Reeder, Joan, op cit.
8. Bailey, G., Correspondence with the author, 5 January 1984; Newton, Dennis, A Few of ‘
the Few’ – Australians and the Battle of Britain (Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1990), pp. 166–7.
9. Parker, Nigel, Luftwaffe Crash Archive Vol. 3–30th August to 9th September 1940, Red Kite, Surrey, 2013), p. 360.
10. Ramsey, Winston (ed.), op cit., p. 52.
11. Ramsey, Winston (ed.), The Battle of Britain Then and Now (After The Battle, London 1980), p. 428; Willis, John, Churchill’s Few (Michael Joseph, London, 1985), p. 135.
12. One is reminded of the dramatic film sequence showing the torso of Dornier Do 17Z, F1+FH, of 1/KG76 as it spiralled down on Victoria Station minus its tail section and outer wings on 15 September 1940. See Parker, Nigel, Luftwaffe Crash Archive Vol. 4 – 10th September 1940 to 27th September 1940 (Red Kite, Surrey, 2014), pp. 430–3.
13. John Foreman, Fighter Command War Diaries – Volume 2: September 1940 to December 1941 (Air Research Publications, Walton-on-Thames, 1998), p. 16; John Foreman, RAF Fighter Command Victory Claims – Part 1: 1939-1940 (Red Kite, Surrey, 2003), p. 199; Simon Parry, Correspondence with the author, 3 April 1987.
14. See Chapter 12, 26 August 1940.
15. See Chapter 14, 5 September 1940.
16. P/O Brian van Mentz, 222 Squadron, PRO, Combat report 7.9.40 AIR 50/85 114484; Aeroplane (July 2010, Vol. 38, No. 7), p. 23, ‘Undaunted by Odds’ by Eric Benjaminson.
18. AFTERWARDS
1. Shirer, William L., Berlin Diary 1934–1941 (Sphere Books Limited, London, 1970), p. 392.
2. Laurence Lucas, Correspondence with the author, 23 August 2013.
3. Willis, John, Churchill’s Few – the Battle of Britain Remembered (Michael Joseph Ltd, London, 1985), p. 137.
4. Reeder, Joan, Woman Magazine, 15 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
5. ibid.
6. Laurence Lucas, Correspondence with the author, 14 March 2012.
7. Geof Hartnell, Correspondence with Kay Hughes, 22 October 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
8. Geof Hartnell, Correspondence with Kay Hughes, 20 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
9. ibid.
10. Henry Hughes, Correspondence with Kay Hughes, 23 December 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
11. Jack Hughes, Correspondence with Kay Hughes, 30 March 1981, via Winston Ramsey.
12. Henry Hughes, Correspondence with Kay Hughes, 12 May 1982, via Winston Ramsey. AVM Henry Alfred (Bill) Hughes AO DFC passed away on 23 July 2005.
13. Adapted from a story by Dimity Torbett.
14. Reeder, Joan, Woman Magazine; 15 November 1980, via Winston Ramsey.
19. PAT HUGHES NIGHT
1. Doe, Bob, Bob Doe – Fighter Pilot, The Story of One of the Few (Spellmount Ltd, Tonbridge Wells, 1991); Doe, Helen, Fighter Pilot (Amberley Publishing, Stroud, 2015); Wynn, Kenneth G., Men of the Battle of Britain Clasp (Gloddon Books, Norwich, Norfolk, 1989).
2. Marks, Neil, Australian People Australian Tales (HarperCollins Publishers, Sydney, 1999), pp. 154–60.
APPENDIX 1: NEW SOUTH WALES: THE ANCESTRY OF PAT HUGHES
1. The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, Reference No.: t17840421-130.
2. Lord Sydney to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury’, Whitehall, 18th August, 1786, printed in the Historical Records of New South Wales, Vol. I, pt. 2, at pp.14–19.
3. Bateson, Charles, The Convict Ships 1787–1868 (A. H. & A. W. Reed, Sydney, 1974), pp. 94–119.
4. ibid.
5. Collins, David, An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales (London, 1798), pp. 5–7.
6. Tench, Watkin, Sydney’s First Four Years being a combined reprint of A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay and A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson (Library of Australian History, Sydney, 1979).
7. ibid.
8. Britts, M. G., The Commandants – The Tyrants Who Ruled Norfolk Island (Herron Publications, West End, Queensland, 1980), pp. 9–25.
9. House of Commons Papers for 1812, Vol. ii, Paper No. 341.
10. Collins, David, An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales (London, 1798). David Collins was Governor Phillip’s Secretary and Judge Advocate in New South Wales 1788–96 and a historian of the colony’s early days. Later he became the founder and Lieutenant Governor of the penal settlement in Van Diemen’s Land.
11. Bond, Ensign G., A Brief Account of the Colony of Port Jackson (Southampton, England, 1803); quoted in J. W. C. Cumes, Their Chastity was not too Rigid (Longman, Melbourne, 1979).
12. Cunningham, P., Two Years in New South Wales (London, 1827); quoted in Birch, Alan and Macmillan, David S., The Sydney Scene 1788–1960 (Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1962).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am pleased to acknowledge the help and cooperation of the many people and organisations who have given support and help while researching and writing this book.
First of all, my very special thanks go to Pat Hughes’ nieces and nephews without whose marvellous support, association and ready access to their family memorabilia, the project could not have even been started: especially Dimity Torbett, who started me on the trail and pushed me (gently) along the way; Stephanie Bladen, who maintained the impetus and provided so much encouragement; David Hughes for his great hospitality and ready collaboration; Laurence Lucas for his perceptive judgement and astute observations; and Malcolm Booth for his guidance and direction.
Others who have helped along the journey include: Helen Doe; Keith Lawrence; Neil Marks; the family of Gordon Olive; Colin Burgess; Dick Power; Desmond Sheen; Simon Parry; Kenneth Wynn; Robert Glyde; Robert Burridge; John Hamilton; Chris Egan; Henry McDonough; John Wallen; Peter Thompson; David Innes; Winston Ramsey; Derek Wood; Stewart Wilson; E. A. Munday; Jock Goodwin; Bryan Philpott; Ron Lees; and my son, Scott Newton.
I am particularly grateful for the work of Jonathan Reeve and the team at Amberley Publishing, who have spent long hours editing and designing this book, and without whose skills it would have reached realisation.
Organisations that have assisted include: In Britain: Ministry of Defence, Public Record Office (National Archives), Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Imperial War Museum, Battle of Britain Museum, Battle of Britain Fighter Association of Great Britain, The Caterpillar Club, The Goldfish Club; in Australia: the Australian War Memorial, Australian Archives, the National Library of Australia, the Department of Defence, the Battle of Britain Fighter Association – Australian Branch, Bull Creek Aviation museum WA, Aero Australia, Wings, NSW State Library, NSW Military Historical Society, Aviation Historical Society of Australia , and especially the John Nichols Family Society.
No serious study of a pilot involved in the Battle of Britain could be made without particular reference to many outstanding books because of their originality, wealth of detail and accuracy. I owe a special debt to Derek Wood and Derek Dempster’s The Narrow Margin; Francis Mason’s Battle over Britain; Nigel Parker’s Luftwaffe Crash Archives; Kenneth Wynn’s Men of the Battle of Britain Clasp; and Winston Ramsey’s The Battle of Britain Then and Now series, and The Blitz Then and Now series. I acknowledge in particular the help given to me by Winston Ramsey, the After the Battle editor, and his contributors.
To all of these people and organisations my sincere thanks. If anyone has been inadvertently omitted, I apologise for the mistake.
Finally, and by no means least, I give especially acknowledgement to my wife, Helen. Without her support and incredible patience, this work could not possibly have been finished.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Pat Hughes after graduation from Point Cook. (Bill Hughes, Dimity Torbett, Stephanie Bladen, David Hughes, Laurence Lucas)
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)
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 Bla
den)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)