Looking for RAF Pat Huges Spitfires 234 Sqn

[N4521U]

Worked at HARS today.
Met a bloke who was related to the late Flt Lt Paterson Hughes of 234 Sqn. An Aussie RAAF pilot who went to the EAF and flew Spitfires and was the highest scoring Australian ace. Awarded the DFC after his final flight, crashing into the bebris of the [plane he was shooting sown.

We are now after a photo, or information regarding the Code, and serial number of his last aircraft. I have see G*AZ, but cannot confirm this code.

Any help would be great.

 

[rochie]

found this Bill

F/L Paterson Clarence Hughes an Australian from Haberfield, New South Wales joined the R.A.F. before the war and was a Flight Commander with No 234 Squadron during the battle. His score was 13 + 3 ½ kills and he was awarded the D.F.C. One of them being a Bf 109 on the 5th of September 1940 near Detling. P.C.Hughes was killed on the 7th of September 1940 whilst attacking a Dornier at point blank range. The Dornier blew up and his Spitfire I (X4009) was hit by the part of the wing and it crashed in Kent at 18:30hrs.

from here Ho-pilots

also found this my friend, seems He may have flew AZ*D ?

Spitfire Mk1 by ~Greywolf42 on deviantART

 

[rochie]

although on further looking AZ*D might have been X4036 flown by Bob Doe ?

 

[N4521U]

Brilliant Karl.............. 3 hrs, 20 min. that has to be a record for such a complete response.

Now, I had seen D*AZ as Sqn Ldr Doe's plane somewhere with a totally different serial.
However X4009 on a G*AZ model as Hughes plane. Confusing eh.

So maybe one more conformation of the code and serial.

 

[rochie]

found this on here Aussie Modeller International • View topic - Aussie Aces

Paterson Huges 17 Spitfire X4009 AZ-Q
Spitfire X4036 AZ-D

 

[rochie]

crossed post there Bill.

AZ*D is X4036 normally associated with Bob Doe and it seems Hughes scored at least one kill in it

X4009 is the Spitfire he flew on the day he died and may have been AZ*Q wonder if Q and G could be mistaken for each other ?

 

[rochie]

have now found this Gordon
seems AZ*G was X4035 !

 

[N4521U]

Corgi diecast has D*AZ as x4035!

Seems we are getting there, somehow.

just have to keep searchin.
London BoB lists X4009 as Pat's plane, no code.

 

[rochie]

Mark Styling has X4036 as both AZ*D and AZ*G with both A and B paint schemes ?????
Aircraft illustration

on one of the links i read that 234 Sqn kept the code the same on both sides as well, a hang over from their Blenhiem days !
so the single letter aircraft code was always aft of the roundel on both sides

 

[stona]

Lest we forget Hughes was only 23 when he was killed. He left a widow, Kay, after only five weeks of marriage. He was flying X4009 at the time. Some witnesses on the ground claimed he rammed a Do 17 though officially his aircraft was hit by debris. A very brave and proud Australian.

Finally, a face to the name.

Great subject, best of luck with it!

Cheers
Steve

 

[Aozora]

Thanks Stona; sometimes we tend to forget the human tragedy behind the aircraft. From The Battle of Britain Then and Now Vol V:

(sorry, couldn't do a better rendition without breaking the spine of the book).

 

[stona]

Very nice.

Although officially flying on secondment to the RAF ( his grave in Sutton in Holderness makes no mention of his nationality and, as was usual, lists him as "Pilot - Royal Air Force") he was known to have kept and worn his darker blue RAAF uniform.
He looks and sounds like the kind of bloke you would enjoy watching an Ashes test match with.......maybe not the current one though, at least from a pommy perspective.

What a waste, though thankfully not in vain.

Cheers
Steve

 

[rochie]

Read during the bit of research i did for Bill that he used to take his dog with him on missions and it was not seen again after he died so it may have died with him !

 

[stona]

Read during the bit of research i did for Bill that he used to take his dog with him on missions and it was not seen again after he died so it may have died with him !

Verging on the macabre and slightly unpleasant here, but Hughes body was reported as having been thrown clear of his aircraft, no mention of the dog whose fate will probably remain unknown.

Didn't someone dig a Bf 109 crash site and find the remains of a dog a few years back? It might have been Andy Saunders but my memory isn't that good

Cheers

Steve