The last surviving pilot of the iconic ‘Battle of Britain,’ which was a pivotal moment in the resistance against Nazi Germany by the United Kingdom, passed away on March 17, at the age of 105. The news of Group Captain John Paddy Hemingway DFC’s death was announced by the Royal Air Force (RAF).
Paying homage to the war icon, the Royal Air Force (RAF) wrote: “In the summer of 1940, John Paddy Hemingway DFC, one of the renowned individuals in British aviation history known as “the Few,” was instrumental in protecting the United Kingdom from Nazi persecution. His bravery in the face of insurmountable difficulties showed his sense of responsibility and the value of British tenacity.”
Born in 1919 in Dublin, Pilot Officer John “Paddy” Hemingway enlisted in the RAF in 1938 while still a teenager.
As the worst came to worst, Paddy participated in World War II and fought valiantly in the Battle of Britain, the most revered event in British history.
According to the RAF, “John Allman ‘Paddy’ 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.”
How Did Young Pilot Paddy Turn Into A Legend?
A year after Paddy enlisted into the RAF as a pilot officer, Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The occupation was part of a bigger insidious plan hatched by German Nazi ruler Adolf Hitler. However, it was not going to go unchallenged, and just two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II.
After the fall of Poland, an emboldened Nazi Germany went rogue and invaded Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
After that, it came after France. It was time for Britain to defend its allies. At the time, however, RAF’s Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding posited that defending France against the assault of Nazi Germany could prove to be detrimental to Britain’s future. “If the Home Defence Force is drained away in desperate attempts to remedy the situation in France, defeat in France will involve the final, complete, and irredeemable defeat of this country.”
As fate would have it, France eventually fell to Germany in 1940. This meant that Britain was now the last one standing in the sight of Adolf Hitler. At the time, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill said, “What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over, the Battle of Britain is about to begin.”
And so, in June 1940, the Head of the German Luftwaffe (German Air Force), Hermann Goering ordered an assault on the RAF to draw them into the battle. The aim was total decimation and elimination of all resistance.
However, Paddy had been fighting against the Nazi Germany since France was invaded. A pilot of No. 85 Squadron, Paddy was engaged in a fierce battle with the Luftwaffe when the invasion of France began in May 1940. Over eleven days, the squadron was responsible for taking down 90 enemy aircraft.
Paddy was seen destroying a He-111 on May 10 and a Do-17 the next day. However, in one instance, he had to make a forced landing after his Hurricane aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire.
By this time, it became evident that the airfields would be overrun as the Germans advanced. So, the surviving pilots (including Paddy), planes, and crews withdrew to the hinterland of the United Kingdom. This was the beginning of the Battle of Britain, which was fought above the skies of Britain between the RAF and the German Luftwaffe in four phases, as listed by a British museum website.
Under a new commanding officer named Peter Townsend, No. 85 Squadron joined the 11 Group (Fighter Command) as one of the front-line squadrons in the fight against the daily attacks by Nazi aircraft, which became known as the Battle of Britain.
“Paddy’s logbook records, almost nonchalantly, the daily sorties he and the other pilots undertook in defense of the United Kingdom. In August 1940, during hectic dogfights, Paddy was twice forced to bail out of his Hurricane, landing in the sea off the coast of Essex and marshland on the other occasion,” state the RAF records.
According to reports, the wreckage of his Hurricane aircraft was found in 2019 with the gun button and control column still set to “fire” and frozen in place.
Paddy later served as an air controller during the Normandy Invasion and was temporarily made Squadron Leader.
Despite all odds and a relentless assault from the Luftwaffe, Paddy survived and remained steadfast in his fight. However, he suffered immensely due to the hard fighting and the deaths of his companions, especially Richard “Dickie” Lee, DSO, DFC, who died in August 1940. He was one of more than 500 of John’s fellow pilots who were killed during the bloody Battle of Britain.
Around that time, Churchill said of the pilots: “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.”
Despite the emotional toll, Paddy continued to serve and was awarded a Mention in Dispatches in September and the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on July 1, 1941.
His journey to receive the DFC from King George VI was eventful. His aircraft, a Bristol Blenheim, crashed on takeoff, but he luckily managed to escape unscathed.
Nevertheless, Paddy’s journey in the RAF was full of near-tragic surprises. In 1941, as Paddy was flying in a Havoc night fighter with No. 85 Squadron, based at RAF Hunsdon, he had to parachute out at 600 feet due to instrument failure in inclement weather. Unfortunately, he broke his arm. This was just one of the misfortunes in a series of similar events on that fateful day. The parachute did not open as it was supposed to and got stuck into a tree, causing further injuries to an already injured pilot.
Later, in 1945, he had to make a fourth bailout while operating with the 324 Wing of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. His Spitfire was repeatedly struck by anti-aircraft fire while striking enemy positions near Ravenna.
In what could read like a story from an action-packed film, he touched down on enemy territory. However, he managed to contact the Italian resistance, who assisted him in getting back to his squadron.
The Battle of Britain, which made Paddy a hero, eventually ended in a British victory. It is believed to be a pivotal moment in WW2 because had the British and Allied aircrew not defeated the Luftwaffe, Germany would likely have invaded Britain.
According to the Royal Air Force, which Paddy served with every ounce of dedication he could find in him, John Allman ‘Paddy’ Hemingway was the last Battle of France and Battle of Britain (last of “The Few”) pilot.
Earlier, in an interview with the BBC, Hemingway said, “I was shot down many times, but I’m still here. So many others were shot down the first time, and that was the end of them. “I was lucky. And I’m still lucky.”
Last year, on July 18, Hemingway celebrated his 105th birthday at the British Embassy in Dublin, Ireland. “I am here because I had the staggering luck to fight alongside great pilots flying magnificent aircraft with the best ground crew in the best air force in the world. It has been a pleasure to ask Dan to capture some moments of my life in his portraits. I hope to see you all again. Next year,” he said at the occasion.
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