Air Marshal Sir Sidney Weetman Rochford Hughes, (25 October 1914 – 17 September 1996) was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

officer who served as Air Officer Commanding Far East Air Force from 1966 to 1969.

RAF career

Educated at

Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...

, Hughes was part of the editorial team at the ''New Zealand Herald'' from 1933. He joined the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

in 1937 but was transferred to the

in 1938.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir Rochford Hughes
/ref> He served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

mainly in the Middle East and North Africa; after being shot down, he was taken prisoner in 1941 by a group of Italian soldiers near

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

, although he later turned the tables and took 130 Italians prisoner himself.Flight Lieutenant S W R Hughes
Air Force News, April 2006 He became Officer Commanding No. 511 Squadron in September 1945. After the war, he served as Officer Commanding the

Royal Aircraft Establishment The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

before becoming Station Commander at

RAF Jever The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's Air force, air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal ...

in 1955. He went on to be Air Officer Commanding No. 19 (Reconnaissance) Group in 1962 and Deputy Controller of Aircraft (RAF) at the

Ministry of Aviation The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply. ...

in 1964 before becoming Air Officer Commanding Far East Air Force in 1966 and retiring in 1969.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Rochford 1914 births 1996 deaths Military personnel from Auckland British World War II prisoners of war Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath New Zealand prisoners of war in World War II People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School New Zealand recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel World War II prisoners of war held by Italy