262946 P/O. Hugh Francis Hegarty Royal Canadian Air Force 407 Squadron from:Sarnia, Ontario (d.10th Oct 1941) Frank Hegarty was born in Culdaff, Ireland on 23rd of August 1917 in Donegal, Ireland.
He was the son of Hugh Hegarty (born in Carea Donagh) and Catherine (nee Greene,) born in Culdaffs Donegal Hegarty, both from Ireland.
Hugh had three sisters: Kathleen (born 1900), Mary Bridget (born 1906) and Margaret. He also had one brother, Mike, and two half brothers, Bernard and James Hegarty. Hugh came to Canada when he was just seven years old. He arrived at a port in Quebec in 1924, with his mother aboard the passenger ship Saturnia.
The Hegarty family resided at 417 Confederation Street, then 279 Rose Street, Sarnia during the war years.
Hugh was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish, Sarnia. Hugh went on to graduate from Sarnia Collegiate High School and was well known in Sarnia, having been a mechanic at Sarnia Sports’ Shop and later working at Keelans.
Single at the time, Hugh Hegarty enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on 7th of September 1940 and was a member of RCAF No.407 Demon Squadron “To Hold On High”, flying a Hudson aircraft AN586 as a Pilot.
He and his squadron arrived overseas just one month prior to his death. Based out of a North Sea Coast bombing post, they were engaged in raiding German positions in the Netherlands.
On 10th of October 1941, on a wet and blustry night, he and his crew were flying a Hudson Bomber T for Tommy, for an anti-shipping patrol off the Dutch coast, carrying 4 X 250 lb. bombs. The plane failed to return and they were presumed killed during the flying operation.
Their plane and crew was the first loss sustained by the 407 Demon Squadron coastal command, and the first plane reported missing from an R.C.A.F. coastal command in Britain.
Perishing with Pilot Officer Hugh Hegarty were F/Sgt. Don S. Mather, Sgt. C.J. McCrum, Flying Officer J.W. Renwick (RAF) and Sgt. Billy Smith (RAF).
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