Australia's Few. 1 August 1940

On 31 July, Pat Hughes was assigned to night flying duty and, after a late night/early morning, was up early on 1 August. He had a special licence and 24 hours leave. He and Kay Brodrick, who he had met in February 1940, were getting married. Strangers watched them exchange vows. But that did not matter. They had each other. ‘We were so marvellously happy’, Kay recalled.

In a tragic counterpoint, Australia lost the second of her Battle of Britain pilots on day Pat and Kay were wed. During an afternoon bomber escort operation to Cherbourg with 236 Squadron, Bryan McDonough’s Blenheim R2774 was shot down. Both Bryan and his gunner, Sergeant Frederick Arthur Percy Head, were reported missing.