John Hemingway, the last of the “Few” as Winston Churchill called them, died on Monday at the age of 105 in a Dublin nursing home.
Mr Hemingway served as a pilot in the Battle of Britain when he was just 20 years of age. In August, 1940, he was shot down twice within the space of eight days, but survived and outlived all his contemporaries.
During the battle, he crash-landed a Hurricane P3966 in the Pistea Marshes in Essex.
He was born in Dublin in 1919 and was initially educated at St Patrick’s Cathedral Choir School, before later attending St Andrew’s College. In 2023, at the age of 103, he returned to his alma mater 86 years after he left the school.
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He left school at the age of 18 and joined the RAF in December, 1938. His commanding officer was Peter Townsend, who later tried to marry Princess Margaret (the relationship was considered controversial as Townsend was previously married).
Mr Hemingway flew Spitfires during the Battle of Britain. The average lifespan of a Battle of Britain pilot was four weeks, but he not only survived that, but also being shot down over Italy in 1945 – when he bailed out.
After the war, he served as a staff officer in the Middle East, acted as station commander of RAF Leconfield in Yorkshire, and then senior staff officer at Nato headquarters in France, before being posted to the air ministry. He retired in 1969.
In May, 2020 he became the last of the “Few” after Flight Lieutenant Terry Clark (101) died on the eve of the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
Mr Hemingway was one of 36 Irish pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain, including Wing Commander Brendan ‘Paddy’ Finucane, who was one of the RAF’s most successful fighter aces in the war, and Victor Beamish, a scion of the brewing industry. Both were killed in the war.
In 2019, Mr Hemingway gave an interview to The Irish Times on the occasion of his 100th birthday. He told military historian Joseph Quinn: “I can’t say don’t drink. I can’t say don’t fool about with people. I can’t say don’t fly aeroplanes. I can’t say don’t shoot and get shot at – I’ve done everything, and I’m an Irishman. The only advice I can give to people is be Irish!”
Mr Hemingway’s wife Bridget died in 1998. They had three children.
He lived with daughter in Canada for many years before returning to Ireland in 2011. Mr Hemingway spent his last years in the Trinity Care Foxrock Nursing Home.
Mr Quinn, who got to know Mr Hemingway well, said: “John Hemingway was our last living connection to the men and women who safeguarded the United Kingdom and the entire Allied cause during a time of great darkness, peril and uncertainty.
“He was also the last surviving reminder that Britain did not, in fact, stand alone in the face of the evils of Nazism, and was assisted by volunteers from numerous nations around the world, including neutral Southern Ireland which was represented by 10 RAF pilots. This will be a profound moment for introspection within the United Kingdom, especially at a time when the UK and Europe again face the prospect of aggression on the continent in our own lifetime.
“Group Captain John Hemingway’s story will serve as a visible reminder that the path of reconciliation between Ireland and the UK is underpinned by a shared history which should be both commemorated and celebrated.”
On Monday, UK prime minister, Keir Starmer said he was “saddened to hear of the passing of John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC, the last known pilot of the Battle of Britain. 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.”
