International
Last Surviving Battle of Britain Pilot John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway is Dead
- John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, has died at age 105.
- The Irish-born RAF veteran flew in key WWII battles, was shot down four times, and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.
- Tributes from UK leaders and royals honor his bravery as part of “The Few” who defended Britain during WWII.
John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last surviving pilot of the Battle of Britain, has died peacefully at the age of 105. Born in Dublin, Hemingway joined the Royal Air Force as a teenager before the outbreak of World War Two, going on to serve with distinction during one of the conflict’s most pivotal air battles.
At just 21 years old, Hemingway flew in the Battle of Britain, a fierce three-month campaign in which RAF pilots defended UK skies against a large-scale German Luftwaffe offensive. His valor and service during this time earned him a place among “The Few,” as immortalized by Sir Winston Churchill’s famous tribute: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
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Tributes poured in following his death. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailed Hemingway’s courage and that of his fellow RAF pilots, saying their efforts helped end WWII and preserve freedom. The Prince of Wales also honoured Hemingway’s legacy, stating, “We owe so much to Paddy and his generation for our freedoms today. Their bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered.”
Hemingway’s wartime career was marked by incredible resilience. His squadron shot down 90 enemy aircraft in just 11 days during May 1940 and provided vital air cover during the Battle of France. Remarkably, he survived being shot down four times, including two separate bailouts from his Hurricane fighter in August 1940 — once landing in the sea off Essex, the other in marshland.
His aircraft from one of those crashes was recovered in 2019, with the controls still set to “fire.” In July 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his courage in active service. On the way to receive the medal, he survived yet another crash, escaping from a Blenheim aircraft after it failed to take off.
While serving with RAF Hunsdon’s 85 Squadron, Hemingway bailed out from a Havoc night fighter at just 600 feet due to equipment failure. He broke his hand and his parachute only deployed after snagging on tree branches. Later, near Ravenna, Italy, he was forced to eject again after his Spitfire took heavy fire. Stranded behind enemy lines, he was aided by local Italians who helped him return to Allied forces.
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In a 2023 interview with BBC News NI, Group Captain Hemingway reflected modestly on his service. “I don’t think we ever assumed greatness of any form,” he said. “We were just fighting a war we were trained to fight.” He also shared that his greatest sorrow was the loss of comrades, especially his friend Richard “Dickie” Lee, who died in August 1940.
Hemingway’s legacy as a symbol of resilience and sacrifice in one of Britain’s darkest hours lives on.
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