1939-45 Star with 'Battle of Britain' clasp : Flight Lieutenant P C Hughes, 234 Squadron RAF

1939-45 Star with 'Battle of Britain' clasp. Unnamed as issued.

Flight Lieutenant Paterson Clarence (Pat) Hughes was born on 19 September 1917 at Cooma, NSW. Having served his cadetship with the RAAF at Point Cook, Hughes applied for and received a short service commission with the Royal Air Force in early 1937 as a pilot officer. When the Second World War broke out, Hughes had already served with 64 Fighter Squadron, and had transferred to 234 Squadron as a flight commander, flying Spitfires. Hughes married in England on 7 August 1940. Between 8 July and 7 September 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, Hughes was responsible for shooting down 15 German aircraft and shared the destruction of three others. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his first seven 'kills'. Hughes died when shooting down his fifteenth victim, a Dornier Do 17. Whether the exploding Dornier fatally damaged his Spitfire, or he flew into the firing line of a fellow pilot is unclear. Hughes was 22. The top-scoring Australian ace of the Battle of Britain, Hughes has been described as the 'real driving force behind 234 Squadron'.