'End of an era': Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies

[mahatmakanejeeves]

'End of an era': Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies

1 hour ago
Jessica Lawrence
BBC News NI


John 'Paddy' Hemingway died on Monday, the RAF confirmed

The last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, John "Paddy" Hemingway, has died at the age of 105. … Mr Hemingway, who was originally from Dublin, joined the Royal Air Force [RAF] as a teenager before World War Two.

At 21, he was a fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain, a three-month period when air force personnel defended the skies against a large-scale assault by the German air force, the Luftwaffe.

{snip}

Those who fought in the three-and-a-half-month battle came to be known as 'The Few' after a speech by prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill. … "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few," he had said of their sacrifices in battle.

In a statement, the RAF said that Mr Hemingway "passed away peacefully" on Monday.


John 'Paddy' Hemingway was the last surviving member of "The Few"

{snip}

The picture’s description says that he is sitting next to “a jet.” I expect the BBC will get a few letters.

[applegrove]

1. My dad had a friend who died in the naughts. He was a fighter

Last edited Tue Mar 18, 2025, 12:31 PM - Edit history (1)

pilot instructor in WWII and flew at the front in the end. When he died a local pilot flew his Spitfire over the church (the same pilot had offered to let him fly the Spitfire 60 years after the war - his wife said no).

As they say "Never have so many owed so much to so few".