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John Hemingway (RAF officer)

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Group Captain

John Hemingway

DFC AE
Hemingway on his 105th birthday
Birth nameJohn Allman Hemingway
Born(1919-07-17)17 July 1919
Dublin, Ireland
Died17 March 2025(2025-03-17) (aged 105)
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
BranchRoyal Air Force
Service years1938–1969
RankGroup Captain
Service number40702
UnitNo. 85 Squadron RAF
CommandsRAF Leconfield
No. 43 Squadron RAF
Battles / wars
AwardsDistinguished Flying Cross
Air Efficiency Award

Group Captain John Allman Hemingway, DFC, AE (17 July 1919 – 17 March 2025), known as Paddy Hemingway, was an Irish fighter pilot who served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War in the Battle of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the Allied invasion of Italy and the Invasion of Normandy. He was shot down four times during the war. Hemingway was the last surviving airman of the Battle of Britain.[1]

Early life

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Hemingway was born in Dublin on 17 July 1919. His family were members of the Church of Ireland belonging to the Anglican Communion.[2][3] He attended St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir School and St Andrew's College.[4]

RAF career

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Hemingway was accepted to serve in the Royal Air Force and was granted a short-service commission on 7 March 1938.[5] In January 1939, Hemingway began training in Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England.[4] On 7 March 1939, he was appointed in service as a pilot officer. By early 1940, following the outbreak of the Second World War, he was flying Hurricanes[6] with No. 85 Squadron RAF in France, destroying a Heinkel He 111 on 10 May. The following day, Hemingway destroyed a Do 17 and was forced to make a landing near Maastricht after his plane was damaged. By 15 May, the British Army had brought him to Lille-Seclin and he returned to England two days later.[7][8] During the Battle of Dunkirk he flew supporting missions over the English Channel.[4]

Hemingway initially served in England with No. 253 Squadron RAF before returning to No. 85 Squadron on 15 June 1940. Hemingway fought in the Battle of Britain, waged from July to October 1940. His Hurricane was damaged on 18 August while over the Thames Estuary, and he was forced to bail out. He was again shot down over Eastchurch on 26 August;[7][9] making Hemingway 85 Squadron's first official combat victim over Britain.[10] Five days later he damaged a Bf 109.[7][9] On 3 September 1940, he was promoted to flying officer,[11] and on 22 September made a forced landing due to poor weather near Church Fenton.[7][9]

In 1941, 85 Squadron converted to Havoc II night-fighters. Hemingway was flying one of these on 13 May 1941 when its instruments failed in bad weather. He bailed out at low altitude, trying to avoid the tail which made this difficult, but his right hand hit the tail, breaking two fingers. He was able to pull his ripcord with the other hand but the parachute failed to open fully. His fall was broken by a tree and landing in a midden and so he survived with injured ankles. He was then mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.[12][13]

Exhausted, Hemingway was given generally light duties for several months.[4] On 7 July 1941, he began serving with No. 1452 Flight RAF at West Malling.[7] On 1 January 1944, he was made a temporary squadron leader.[14] He served as an air traffic controller during the Invasion of Normandy.[4] From April to December 1945 he commanded No. 43 Squadron RAF, flying Spitfires.[7] The squadron served in Italy, and Hemingway was shot down for a fourth time.[4]

With the Second World War over, Hemingway was posted to the Middle East. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 23 January 1946,[15] and on 6 March 1946 was made a war substantive squadron leader.[16] On 15 July 1948, Hemingway was promoted to squadron leader,[17] and on 1 July 1954 to wing commander.[18] Hemingway later served as station commander of RAF Leconfield, was staff officer at NATO in France, and finally served in the Air Ministry.[4] Promoted to group captain on 1 January 1969,[19] he retired on 12 September.[7]

Personal life and death

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Hemingway married Bridget and had three children. Bridget died in 1998. He lived in Canada for a few years, but returned to Ireland in 2011.[4] He was one of the nine surviving members of The Few in July 2018.[20] By 2019, he was living in a nursing home near Dublin.[9] When William Clark died in 2020, Hemingway was the last surviving airman of the Battle of Britain.[21][22]

In 2024, Hemingway unveiled a series of five portraits by artist Dan Llywelyn Hall, entitled The Last of the Few, at the British Embassy in Dublin, marking his 105th birthday.[23] In June 2024 Hemingway met with the daughter of the young girl who he claimed had saved him from Germans after he was shot down near the city of Ferrara, Italy, in 1945. The meeting in Dublin came about after Hemingway and his family made an appeal to meet the girl who had hidden him and saved his life.[24][25]

Hemingway died on 17 March 2025, aged 105.[6] The Royal Air Force called it "the end of an era", with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Prince of Wales paying homage.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "John Hemingway: Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies aged 105". www.bbc.com. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Church of Ireland Gazette's June 2020 issue". Church of Ireland. 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Church of Ireland/Anglican Communion". Health Service Executive.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Quinn, Joseph. "Battle of Britain pilot at 100: 'The only advice I can give to people is be Irish'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  5. ^ "No. 34513". The London Gazette. 24 May 1938. p. 3357.
  6. ^ a b "The last surviving Battle of Britain Pilot, John 'Paddy' Hemingway DFC, passes away". Royal Air Force. 17 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "F/O J A Hemingway". Battle of Britain London Monument. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  8. ^ "No. 34607". The London Gazette. 14 March 1939. p. 1771.
  9. ^ a b c d Brent, Harry. "Irish war veteran is one of just six surviving pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain". The Irish Post. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. ^ Mackay, Ron (3 November 2019). "RAF Fighter Command: Defence of the Realm 1936–1945". Fonthill Media – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "No. 34949". The London Gazette. 20 September 1940. p. 5582.
  12. ^ "No. 35206". The London Gazette. 1 July 1941. p. 3770.
  13. ^ Jonny Cracknell (1 September 2020), "Battle of Britain at 80: Luck of the Irish", FlyPast
  14. ^ "No. 36340". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 January 1944. p. 408.
  15. ^ "No. 37659". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 July 1946. p. 3779.
  16. ^ "No. 37770". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 October 1946. p. 5302.
  17. ^ "No. 38441". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 October 1948. p. 5677.
  18. ^ "No. 40220". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1954. p. 3869.
  19. ^ "No. 44760". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 January 1969. p. 203.
  20. ^ Campion, Garry (26 September 2019). The Battle of Britain in the Modern Age, 1965–2020: The State's Retreat and Popular Enchantment. Springer Nature. p. 84. ISBN 978-3-030-26110-8.
  21. ^ "One of the last surviving pilots of 'The Few' who fought during Battle of Britain dies, aged 101". The Independent. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  22. ^ Sheridan, Danielle (8 May 2020). "VE Day: I've the luck of the Irish, says last survivor of The Few". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Irish RAF pilot John 'Paddy' Hemingway celebrates 105th birthday". 24 July 2024.
  24. ^ "L'abbraccio col pilota 80 anni dopo. John, l'ultimo eroe della Raf: "Mia madre gli salvò la vita"". Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 22 June 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  25. ^ "The last of Churchill's Few returns to Dublin school 86 years after he left". The Irish Times. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  26. ^ "John Hemingway: Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies aged 105". BBC News. 17 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.

Further reading

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