Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway dies aged 105
17 March 2025, 23:58 | Updated: 17 March 2025, 23:59
John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last surviving pilot that served in the Battle of Britain, has passed away at the age of 105.
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The Group Captain’s death comes 80 years after he fought in the iconic battle of the Second World War.
The Royal Air Force said he died peacefully on Monday.
Paddy Hemingway, the last of the aviators known as ‘the Few’ and a revered figure in British aviation history, played a crucial role in defending the United Kingdom against the Nazis during the summer of 1940.
‘The Few’ is used to refer to the pilots that served in the Battle of Britain, named after a speech given by Sir Winston Churchill.
Churchill, talking about the RAF fighter pilots at the height of the Battle, said: "Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few."
Paddy’s squadron shot down 90 enemy aircraft during an 11-day period in May of 1940, the RAF said.
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In August of that year, Paddy was forced to bail out of his Hurricane fighter jet on two separate occasions, once off the coast of Essex, then in marshland.
By the end of 1940, Paddy was suffering from losing many of his friends in the war, including ‘Dickie’ Lee DSO, DFC.
Paddy continued fighting, however, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) from King George VI in July 1941.
That same year, he was forced to bail from his plane at a height of 600 feet, breaking his hand on landing.
His parachute didn’t open properly, but it luckily got caught in the branches of a tree, slowing down his fall.
Near the end of the Second World War, when Paddy was fighting over the Mediterranean, Paddy’s Spitfire plane was hit multiple times by anti-aircraft fire.
He bailed out for the fourth time near Ravenna, Italy, and found himself parachuting into enemy territory.
He managed to make contact with Italian partisans, who helped to return him to his squadron.
“He never saw his role in the Battle of Britain as anything other than doing the job he was trained to do. He didn’t see it as an epoch-making moment in the history of the RAF or the United Kingdom,” an RAF statement said.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "I am saddened to hear of the passing of John 'Paddy' Hemingway DFC, the last known pilot of the Battle of Britain.
"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."
Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, Chief of the Air Staff, said Paddy was "an amazing character whose life story embodies all that was and remains great about the Royal Air Force".
