Group Captain John “Paddy” Hemingway, the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, has died aged 105.
Born in Dublin in 1919, Mr Hemingway dedicated his life to service. He enlisted in the RAF in 1938 and soon became one of the young pilots who fought in the Battle of France.
Two years later, he was among the men known as “The Few”, coined by Winston Churchill to describe Britain’s Battle of Britain pilots.
The Prince of Wales and the prime minister have led tributes to Mr Hemingway, with Prince William sharing a message to social media signed ‘W’.
“I was sad to hear about the passing of John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway this morning, the last of ‘The Few’,” William wrote.
“We owe so much to Paddy and his generation for our freedoms today. Their bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered. We shall never forget them.”
Sir Keir Starmer also paid his respects, saying: “Eighty years ago, the courage and determination of Paddy and all our brave RAF pilots helped bring an end to the Second World War.
“They fearlessly flew over enemy territory to protect the UK and its Allies, risking their lives.
“He never considered himself a hero and often referred to himself as the ‘Lucky Irishman’, a man simply doing his job, like so many others of his generation.
“Despite his sacrifice, he would tell stories of the joyous memories he made and moments he shared with his peers, many of whom never returned home.
“Their sense of duty and service secured our freedom, and we shall never forget them.”
His son Brian told the Daily Mail his father had been “in fighting form” at his Dublin care home in recent years.
“He never felt that there was anything special about him. He thought the special ones were the friends who never returned. And now he is back with his squadron,” he said.
“It is very sad, but his is a life to be both celebrated and mourned.”
Defence secretary John Healey said: “Paddy came from a generation who understood the importance of freedom and sacrificed so much to achieve it.
“The last known Battle of Britain pilot, he embodied the deep courage of that incredible generation.”
In 1940, Mr Hemingway was recorded as destroying a German airliner and the following day he downed a German Luftwaffe plane, but his Hurricane fighter was hit by anti-aircraft fire and he had to make a forced landing.
He then became one of the frontline members of 11 Group’s response to daily attacks by German aircraft, which went on to be known as the Battle of Britain.
Mr Hemingway’s logbook records up to five daily sorties he and the other pilots undertook in defence of the UK.
In August 1940, amid intense dogfights, he was forced to bail out of his Hurricanes twice, landing once in the sea off the Essex coast and the other time in marshland.
On 1 July 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and in September of that year, he was mentioned in despatches by senior officers.
Mr Hemingway went on to serve as an air fighter controller during D-Day operations, and in 1945 he joined the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces with 324 Wing.
Chief of RAF Air Staff Sir Rich Knighton passed condolences to Mr Hemingway’s family and friends.
“I am thankful that I was able to meet and spend time with him in Dublin, most recently in January this year,” he said.
“Paddy was an amazing character whose life story embodies all that was and remains great about the Royal Air Force.”
Mr Hemingway was stationed in Italy towards the end of the war and commanded 43 Squadron. During this period, he was forced to bail out for a fourth time.
While attacking enemy forces near Ravenna in April 1945, his Spitfire was hit multiple times by anti-aircraft fire.
He parachuted into enemy territory and managed to contact local partisans who helped him return to his squadron.
In 1966, he became an officer commanding RAF Leconfield and eventually attained the rank of group captain.
