Pat Hughes is today perhaps the greatest unsung hero of the Battle of Britain. Ranked sixth in the ‘ace of aces’ of the aerial campaign of summer 1940, he shot down at least fourteen enemy aircraft, mostly the Spitfire’s closely matched rival the Messerschmitt Me 109.

As a flight commander in 234 Squadron he advocated bold, close-in tactics and during July 1940 scored the squadron’s first victories of the epic battle for air supremacy. The burden of command fell on his shoulders before the squadron transferred to the heart of the Battle in the south-east of England, where he endured the heaviest and most sustained period of fighting of the Battle of Britain.

Revered by his fellow pilots, Hughes began a shooting spree on 15 August that only ended when he was killed during the first huge daylight attack on London on 7 September. In his last three days alone he contributed at least six kills. His death in mysterious circumstances left Kathleen, his bride of just six weeks, a war widow. This volume is illustrated with over forty photographs, including many from his family that have never before been published.

• Fully authorised biography of Pat Hughes with complete access to his papers and rare photographs never before published.
• First ever biography of renowned Spitfire ace.
• Reviews in the aviation interest press, national weeklies, national

  daily and Sunday newspapers, to include: Flypast, The Mail on Sunday and

  The Times, TLS and The Spectator.

• Subject of the book is relevent to a large number of popular visitor

  atractions including IWM London, IWM Duxford, The Battle of Britain

  Memorial Flight Visitor Centre (nr Lincoln), RAF Hendon (North London),

  RAF Cosford (nr Wolverhampton), Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum

  (nr Ramsgate), Yorkshire Air Museum, Tangmere Military Aviation Museum

  (nr Chichester), Kent Battle of Britain Museum (nr Folkstone) and the

  Battle of Britain National Memorial site at Capel-le-Ferne, (nr

  Folkstone, new visitor centre just opened).