War Memorials in Australia
Flight Lieut. Hughes Memorial
Place:
Cooma, New South Wales, 2630
District:
Southern Tablelands
Orientation: 114 km S of
Canberra
Location: Monaghan Hayes Place, Vale Street
Position: 36 14 04 S 149 07 42 E
Ref: 20132
__________________________
The memorial is a short, circular, brick column on which, under a glass cover, is a diorama of a British fighter plane over southern England. There is also an explanatory placard with a photograph of Flight Lieut. Hughes.
This memorial was erected in memory of
39461 Flight Lieut. Paterson
Clarence Hughes
D.F.C.
Killed in action 7th September, 1940
He was born on 19th September 1917
and attended Cooma Primary
School to the age of 12 years - thence Fort Street High School
joining the RAAF in 1936 at the age of 19 years and sailing to
England in 1927 on a short term RAF commission.
After serving in 64 Fighter Squadron
he was promoted to Acting
Flight Lieutenant and posted to 234 Squadron as a Flight
Commander where he demonstrated his extreme virtuosity as a
leader and a pilot, being credited with 14 downed enemy aircraft
plus other shared and unconfirmed planes making him the highest
scoring Non-British Fighter Pilot in the Battle of Britain.
His victims are said to
include the flamboyant German Ace Oblt.
Franz Von Wirra who safely landed his damaged aircraft in England.
Paterson Hughes'
close-in and aggressive tactics led to his demise
on 7th September 1940 with his aircraft being struck by debris from
an exploding bomber which he was attacking.
He was the driving force in the
achievements of 234 Squadron RAF
and he lies at rest in St. James Yard, Sutton in Holderness,
Hull, England.
This is a tribute to his
heroism in the elite company of
'The Few'.
Information current to December 2001