The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (410858) Pilot Officer Maurice McHugh, No. 620 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Dennis Stockman, the story for this day was on (410858) Pilot Officer Maurice McHugh, No. 620 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Second World War.

410858 Pilot Officer Maurice McHugh, No. 620 Squadron, Royal Air Force
KIA 20 September 1944
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 20 September 2015

Today we pay tribute to Pilot Officer Maurice McHugh, who was killed on active service with the Royal Air Force in 1944.

Born in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda on 9 July 1923, Maurice McHugh was the son of Augustus and Annie McHugh. Prior to his enlistment McHugh worked as a law clerk at Rigby & Fielding in Melbourne.

In February 1942, at the age of 19, McHugh enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force and commenced training to become a pilot. In March 1943 he embarked for overseas service. As part of the Empire Air Training Scheme, McHugh was one of almost 16,000 RAAF pilots, navigators, wireless operators, gunners, and engineers who joined Royal Air Force squadrons in Britain throughout the course of the war.

Arriving in England in April 1943, McHugh undertook further specialist training in airborne operations. He was known as a bit of a character around the base, and was disciplined several times, mostly for minor offences relating to the wearing of his uniform. However, on one occasion he got himself into trouble for taking a girlfriend on a flight in his aircraft, during which he flew low across the aerodrome, “buzzing” it a few times before landing.

In June 1944 McHugh was posted to No. 620 Squadron, RAF, just in time to participate in missions to support the Normandy landings. The squadron was equipped with the Short Stirling four-engine heavy bomber. Originally a part of Bomber Command, No. 620 had been retrained to support airborne operations, including dropping paratroopers, towing gliders, and dropping supplies.

On 20 September 1944 the Stirling McHugh was piloting was with the squadron dropping supplies on the beleaguered British 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem in the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden. McHugh’s Stirling came under heavy flak fire, causing a wing to catch fire. Nevertheless, he managed to keep a straight course and successfully dropped his supplies.

As he pulled the aircraft up to turn back it was hit again, and McHugh gave the order to abandon the aircraft. McHugh was offered a parachute but refused it, instead holding the aircraft as steady as possible to allow the other crewmembers to bail out. Three managed to parachute to safety. McHugh and three of his British crewmates were killed.

Maurice McHugh was 21 years old. Today his body is buried alongside his crewmates in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. His epitaph reads: “May we be worthy of his sacrifice”.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with some 40,000 other Australians who died serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Pilot Officer Maurice McHugh, and all of those Australians – as well as our Allies and brothers in arms – who gave their lives for their nation.

Dr Lachlan Grant
Historian, Military History Section