WWII, Last Surviving Battle of Britain Pilot Dies, John Hemingway of Dublin,105, RAF, Shot Down 90 Enemy Planes 1940

[appalachiablue]

'End of an era': Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies, BBC News, March 17, 2025. Ed.

(Photo: Royal Air Force An RAF pilot in full uniform, navy jacket and hat with gold trim, and numerous colourful badges Royal Air Force).
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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 3-month period when air force personnel defended the skies against a large-scale assault by the German air force, the Luftwaffe.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to Mr Hemingway, saying that his courage and those of all RAF pilots "helped end WWII and secure our freedom". 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." The pilot's squadron shot down 90 enemy aircraft during an 11-day period in May 1940, and provided fighter cover for allied troops during the Battle of France.
During the war, Gp Capt Hemingway was shot down 4 times. During dogfights – or one-on-one aerial combats - in August 1940, Mr Hemingway was forced to bail out of his Hurricane [single seat fighter aircraft] on 2 occasions, landing in the sea off the coast of Essex and in marshland. The wreckage of his Hurricane was recovered in 2019 with the control column and the gun-button still set to "fire".

In July 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross - awarded to RAF personnel for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty while flying in active operations. On the way to receive his medal from the King, he was forced to escape from a Blenheim aircraft, which had crashed during take-off.. The RAF said that Mr Hemingway's passing marks "the end of an era and a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom during World War II"...

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg1z42pkj8o

[Aristus]

1. Thank you, sir.