John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last Battle of Britain pilot, dies aged 105

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The last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, John “Paddy” Hemingway, has died aged 105.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) said Hemingway, a member of “the Few” who took to the skies during the second world war, died peacefully on Monday.

He played a key role in the successful defence of Britain against unremitting air raids conducted by the German air force, the Luftwaffe, from July through September 1940 after the fall of France.

The pilot’s squadron shot down 90 enemy aircraft during an 11-day period in May 1940, the RAF said.

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, paid tribute to Hemingway and said: “I am 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.”

Group captain Hemingway DFC retired from the RAF in 1974.

The defence secretary, John Healey, said Hemingway’s generation “understood the importance of freedom and sacrificed so much to achieve it”.

Air chief marshal Sir Rich Knighton, the chief of the air staff, said the flyer was “an amazing character whose life story embodies all that was and remains great about the Royal Air Force”.

Hemingway was the last surviving member of the Few after the death of Terry Clark in May 2020 aged 101.

Clark, who died in a care home from natural causes, had served as a radar operator on Bristol Beaufighters during the second world war.