Death of an Aussie Ace. Pat Hughes

How thrilled was I when Andy Saunders, editor of Britain's best selling military history monthly agreed to publish my article on the Pat Hughes' last combat?

 

I submitted the piece on spec months ago, and words can't describe the excitement of finally seeing it in print.  

 

The layout is stunning. A real tribute to Pat, Australia's highest scoring Battle of Britain pilot. A true Aussie Ace. Thanks Andy.

 

Britain at War, Issue 99, July 2015

For Australian readers: signed copies available at http://www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au/australias-few-and-battle-britain-0

For UK readers: available at http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Australias-Few-and-the-Battle-of-Britain-Hardback/p/10350

Preview of Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain

I am so excited. Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain has arrived.

What wonderful cover art:



The book tells the remarkable stories of eight young Australians who fought in the Battle of Britain:



Jack Kennedy (238 Squadron)—Sydney born and bred; Spitfire and Hurricane pilot, the first Australian to die in the Battle

Stuart Walch (238 Squadron)—Hobart born and bred; Hurricane pilot, known as the father of his squadron

Dick Glyde DFC (87 Squadron)—Perth born and bred; Australia’s first internee of the war; Hurricane pilot who flew in the Battle of France and died on Eagle Day

Pat Hughes DFC (234 Squadron)—Monaro born and bred, memorialised in Cooma and Kiama, raised to adulthood in Sydney; Spitfire pilot and Australia’s highest scoring Battle ace who died defending London on the first day of the Blitz

Ken Holland (152 Squadron)—Sydney born and bred; Spitfire pilot and the youngest Australian to die

John Crossman (32 and 46 squadrons)—Queensland-born and Newcastle raised; Hurricane pilot who was determined to fly at all cost

Bill Millington DFC (79 and 249 squadrons)—English born but Adelaide raised; Hurricane pilot and exemplar of chivalry who avoided crashing into a village; died on the last day of fighting

Desmond Sheen DFC and Bar (72 Squadron)—Sydney-born and Canberra raised; Spitfire pilot and first Australian to engage the enemy in combat. Baled out twice, and survived.


Perhaps you might like to have a sneak peek of what the book is like ... but first, you have to endure some shots of me gloating over it ...







OK. Now for the book itself.

As you can see, it is very handsomely produced. Hard cover dust wrapper, illustrated boards, stitched page sections (so it won't fall apart if you are a hard reader), a goodly number of b&w pics, two maps and some cleverly designed chapter header logos. For the historians, it is fully endnoted with a detailed bibliography of primary and secondary sources.  And an index. All in all, I am thrilled with it.

What do you think of the frontispiece illustration?

That depicts Pat Hughes' last moments in combat. I was thrilled to receive permission to use this from the man who commissioned the painting, based on their father's eyewitness account of the battle.





The table of contents gives the overview of the book but it is only when you read it that you will gain a true sense of the narrative sweep.

It was difficult selecting the photos and took weeks to make up my mind. I think the end result is mighty impressive. 

 

Do you see the wings brooch in this photo?

That was given to me by Jack Kennedy's former fiancee. I treasure it.

I was so pleased when NewSouth's designer used it as the basis for the chapter headers (see below).

It was all bit of a coincidence too, in that I had separately commissioned a graphic designer to come up with my personal writer's logo which includes a stylised set of wings (see at the top of this post). I love how they all relate.




Here are some extracts from the book.

Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain is available now with a recommended retail price of $A49.99 from all good booksellers throughout Australia. Naturally, Alexander Fax Booksellers will stock signed copies. Postage and packaging will be additional. Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain will be published in the United Kingdom by Pen and Sword at a later date. (I haven't been told the publication date yet) If you don't mind waiting a bit, you will be able to purchase it from your local bookshop in Britain as well.

To purchase from Alexander Fax Booksellers, just follow the link at http://www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au/australians-few-and-battle-britain or email alexfax@alexanderfaxbooks.com.au

If you prefer to order via your favourite local (Australian) bookshop, here is what you need to tell them:

Title: Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain, Author: Kristen Alexander
Publisher: NewSouth, ISBN 9781742234151  

I look forward to sharing with you what I have discovered about Jack Kennedy Stuart Walch, Dick Glyde, Ken Holland, Pat Hughes, Bill Millington, John Crossman and Des Sheen. I will of course tell everyone I know about Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain. Details are already on my website, and that of Alexander Fax Booksellers, and on our Facebook pages. Please help spread the news to your family and friends, and anyone interested in Australia’s aviation history, by word of mouth or social media, so that more people can learn of the bravery of these young men, and their part in the world’s greatest air war.

Before I sign off, I want to share one last thing. Pat Hughes' favourite song was 'Where or When', by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, which featured in the 1937 musical and 1939 movie Babes in Arms. In it, a young couple who meet for the first time are instantly struck by the feeling that they have been in love before, but they can’t work out where they met, or how long ago. Their strong impression of déjà vu, along with their immediate attraction, create the sense that they belong together. Here is my favourite version of that lovely, evocative song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnRSM3dLSTk

I hope you have enjoyed the sneak peek of Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain.  It is my fourth book and I think it is my best.


Kristen
www.kristenalexander.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/australiasfew
https://www.facebook.com/KristenAlexanderAuthor
Twitter: Kristen Alexander @kristenauthor
www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderFaxBooksellers
:

Australia's Few. 4 August 1940

4 August 1940. Pat Hughes had had little time to spend with his new bride. Almost as soon as they exchanged vows, he was temporarily assigned to 247 Squadron which had recently formed at Roborough, about 40 miles from St Eval. 247 had been declared operational on Pat’s wedding day and was allowed a fortnight in which to settle down and become familiar with its sector. Pat had been seconded there help set up the squadron.

 

 

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.

 

 

Australia's Few. 28 July 1940

Pat was again busy on 28 July 1940. He was up early for dawn readiness and, shortly after 5.00 a.m., he and Pilot Officers Ken Dewhurst and Patrick Horton were ordered to investigate an enemy aircraft over Plymouth. As they approached the port city, shell bursts from the anti-aircraft guns illuminated a lone Ju 88 ‘diving steeply towards some objective on the land’. This time flying Spitfire N3239, Pat followed the Junkers down but waited until it ‘pulled up’ and then ‘opened fire at 100 yards closing to 50 yards’. He held this position and fired off a number of short two second bursts, continuing as the enemy aircraft began to turn. The German rear gunner kept up a constant barrage and yet again, Pat’s Spitfire was hit by a solitary bullet, this time in the radiator. His Spit was fine, but smoke began to trail from the Ju 88’s starboard engine and a ‘red hot object’ broke off. The Junkers began to lose height. Pilot Officers Dewhurst and Horton fired in turn. The damaged engine burst into flames and the Junkers slowly turned starboard and hit the water. It disappeared within seconds; there were no survivors. There was no doubt about this one. Blue Section claimed a destroyed and each were credited with a third share.

This was Pat Hughes’s third successful battle in three weeks.

 

 

Australia's Few. 27 July 1940

On 8 July 1940, 234 Squadron’s Blue Section—Flight Lieutenant Pat Hughes, Pilot Officer Keith Lawrence and Sergeant George Bailey—attacked a Junkers Ju 88 over a convoy. They were credited with the squadron’s first confirmed enemy casualty.

 

On 27 July, Pat Hughes was again leading Blue Section, this time on a patrol to Lands End. The section, this time with Flying Officer Francis Connor (who had only joined the squadron on 6 July after converting to Spitfires) flying as Number Two, was ordered to patrol Lands End. They took off at 14.45 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, Pat was ordered to take the section to 23,000 feet. He was about 25 miles south east of Lands End at this stage and saw an enemy aircraft directly above. Then—and here we will hand over to Pat’s account which he wrote in the third person—‘[the] E/A immediately dived vertically. Blue One attacked from astern, using deflection and followed E/A down onto water. Blue One fired three bursts. Both rear guns put out of action. Perspex was seen to fly off the top cockpit and part of aircraft fell from both engines. Blue One finished all his ammunition and broke away to port, estimated speed of enemy aircraft 300 mph.’

 

Pat was credited with damaging a Ju 88.