The last surviving blow of British pilot John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway died at 105 years.
The Royal Air Force said he died peacefully on Monday.
Paddy Hemingway, one of “the few” and a reverent figure in British aviation history, played a key role in defending the UK against the Nazis in the summer of 1940, when he was just 19.
Photo: RAF
‘The pair’ refers to a speech by Sir Winston Churchill in the House of Commons in August that year when the Battle of Britain reached its peak.
The wartime praised the efforts of RAF fighters, saying that “never in the field of human conflict was so much due to so little.”
In an online tribute, the RAF said Hemingway’s squadron shot 90 enemy aircraft in a period of 11 days in May 1940.
In August he was forced to bail from his hurricane fighter aircraft twice and the following year he brought his hand into another bail – this time at 600 feet (183 m) after the instruments of his plane failed in bad weather.
His parachute could not open properly, but fortunately it trapped on the branches of a tree and saved him further injury.
Near the end of First World WarWhile serving in the Mediterranean, he was forced to sponsor a fourth time near Ravenna in Italy after his Spitfire was hit by the fire flight against aviation several times.
When he fell to the enemy territory, he contacted Italian parties, who helped him return to his squadron.
Hemingway never saw his role in the Battle of Britain as something other than doing the work he was trained to do, the Raf said.
The Force described him as always a ‘sparkle in his eyes as he remembered the good times with colleagues in France and London.
“His courage in the face of overwhelming chance showed his sense of duty and the importance of British resilience.”
Hemingway, the RAF said, was a ‘quiet, composed, thoughtful and ominous individual’ who ‘lightened the spirit of all who sorties about this green and pleasant land’.
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In July 1941 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and in September of that year he was mentioned in shipping.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “Very sad to hear about the passing of the group captain John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last well -known fight of Britain pilot.
“His courage, and that of all RAF pilots, helped end World War II and secure our freedom. We will never forget their bravery and service.
“Thanks, John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway. ‘
Defense Minister John Healey said the generation of Hemingway “understands the importance of freedom and has sacrificed so much to achieve it”.
Sir Rich Knighton, head of the air chief of the aircraft, said the pamphlet is “an incredible character whose life story personifies all that is great about the Royal Air Force”.
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