Prince William said Britons ‘owe so much’ to the last surviving Battle of Britain airman John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway after he died aged 105, with the PM also paying his respects
Prince William has led tributes to the last surviving Battle of Britain airman John “Paddy” Hemingway after he died aged 105.
William said Brits “owe so much” to the former fighter pilot, who joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a teenager before World War Two. Mr Hemingway, originally from Dublin, was among the men named as “The Few”, by Winston Churchill when he praised the Battle of Britain pilots for the gratitude owed to them.
William said: “I was sad to hear about the passing of John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway this morning, the last of ‘The Few’. 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.”
In 1940, Mr Hemingway destroyed a German airliner and the following day downed a German Luftwaffe plane. But his Hurricane fighter was hit by anti-aircraft fire and he had to make a forced landing.
He was one of the frontline members of 11 Group’s response to daily attacks by German aircraft, which became known as the Battle of Britain.
His logbook records up to five daily missions he and the other pilots undertook in defence of the UK.
In August 1940 he was forced to bail out of his Hurricanes twice, once landing in the sea off the Essex coast and the other time in marshland.
On July 1, 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and in September that year, was mentioned in despatches by senior officers.
Mr Hemingway later served as an air fighter controller during D-Day operations, and in 1945 he joined the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute to the former pilot. He said: “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.”
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