The last surviving pilot from the Battle of Britain in World War II has passed away at the age of 105, the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) announced.
John “Paddy” Hemingway “passed away peacefully” on Monday, according to a statement from the RAF, which described his death as “the end of an era.”
Hemingway was among the legendary pilots known as “The Few,” who played a crucial role in the 1940 air battle that defended Britain from extensive attacks by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe. The term was famously coined by British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who said, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” highlighting the immense sacrifice of these pilots.
Tributes poured in from figures including Prince William and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, both honoring Hemingway’s bravery and the sacrifices of his generation. “We owe so much to Paddy and his generation for our freedoms today,” Prince William wrote on social media Tuesday. “Their bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered. We shall never forget them.”
A Life of Service and Sacrifice
Born in 1919 in Dublin, Ireland (then part of the UK), Hemingway enlisted in the RAF in 1938, a year before the outbreak of war. In 1940, during the Battle of Britain, he shot down a German Luftwaffe plane, but his own Hurricane fighter was damaged by anti-aircraft fire, forcing him to make a crash landing.
Hemingway was one of the frontline pilots facing constant German attacks during that summer. In August 1940, he was forced to bail out of his Hurricane twice: once landing in the sea and another time in marshland.
His bravery earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor.
“Eighty years ago, the courage and determination of Paddy and all our brave RAF pilots helped bring an end to the Second World War,” Prime Minister Starmer remarked. “He never considered himself a hero and often referred to himself as the ‘Lucky Irishman,’ simply a man doing his job, like so many of his generation. Their sense of duty and service secured our freedom, and we shall never forget them.”
Hemingway also served as an air fighter controller during the D-Day operations in 1944, helping pave the way for the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.
The RAF remembered him as a “quiet, composed, thoughtful and mischievous individual” who “embodied the spirit of all those who flew sorties over Britain.” His passing serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom during World War II.
