David James Hughes | |
---|---|
Born | Hoole, Chester, England | 16 April 1899
Died | 21 June 1955[1] Dallas, Texas, U.S. | (aged 56)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army (Royal Flying Corps) Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1917–1919 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | No. 3 Squadron RAF |
Battles/wars | First World War • Western Front |
Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Captain David James Hughes DFC (16 April 1899 – 21 June 1955) was a Welsh First World War flying ace credited with five aerial victories.[2]
Hughes was born in Hoole, Chester, to Welsh parents James Hughes, a draper from Bryneglwys, and Catherine Griffith from Caernarfon.[3][1][4]
Hughes was commissioned into the Royal Flying Corps as a temporary second lieutenant (on probation) on the General List on 12 August 1917,[5] and was confirmed in his rank on 30 October.[6]
After completing his pilot's training, Hughes became an instructor for a while. He was then assigned to No. 3 Squadron to fly a Sopwith Camel. He ran up a total of two enemy aircraft destroyed, two driven down out of control, and one captured, between 8 August and 23 October 1918.[7]
His award of the Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted in November 1918, his citation reading:
Hughes left the RAF, being transferred to the unemployed list, on 28 January 1919.[9]
He immigrated to the United States in 1929, working as a cotton broker.[10] He died in Dallas in 1955 of emphysema.[1]