Farewell to the last British Battle of Britain pilot

[LVSteve]

The BBC has just reported that the last surviving RAF pilot from the battle passed today. His name was John Hemingway. Seems that the only picture of him shows a post BoB Hurricane IV. An imperfect world, for sure.


RIP, Sir, and thank you for your service.

John Hemingway: Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies aged 105

 

[djohns6]

Those guys were incredible . They saved England from the planned invasion , Operation Sea Lion .

 

[woodsltc]

R.I.P. and God Bless Mr. Hemingway.

Don

 

[Rustyt1953]

I can picture mum in line to greet him and thank him.

 

[Rudi]

These men not only saved England, but the world. Had Germany invaded the UK, it would not have been the stationary aircraft carrier for the bombing champagnes. Nor the springboard for D Day. They must be remembered. RIP.

 

[oldbrownhat]

"...Mr Hemingway was forced to bail out of his Hurricane on two occasions, landing in the sea off the coast of Essex and in marshland.

The wreckage of his Hurricane was recovered in 2019 with the control column and the gun-button still set to "fire"...

...While serving with the 85 Squadron in RAF Hunsdon near Hertfordshire, Mr Hemingway was forced to bail out of his Havoc night fighter at 600ft (183m) due to instrument failure in bad weather.

He broke his hand on the tail section, and his parachute failed to open, with the chute catching on the branches of a tree.

He was forced to bail out a fourth time while fighting near Ravenna, Italy when his Spitfire was hit multiple times. He landed in enemy territory, and made contact with Italian citizens, who helped him back to the Allies..."

John 'Paddy' Hemingway was the last surviving member of "The Few"

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"
Truer words were never spoken.

 

[mckenney99]

God Bless Mr. Hemingway and all those he served with, may he Rest In Peace.

 

[S-W4EVER]

These men not only saved England, but the world. Had Germany invaded the UK, it would not have been the stationary aircraft carrier for the bombing campaigns. Nor the springboard for D Day. They must be remembered. RIP.

Amen. "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" as another one of my heroes, Sir Winston Churchill said about them.

 

[Rudi]

I remember Churchill's funeral on our little B&W TV, live, via satellite. Few humans achieve his stature. A true hero.

 

[kaaskop49]

The gentleman really had an active career, didn't he? I especially appreciated how he once said he and his fellow pilots didn't assume they were great, they were just doing their job. Talk about backs-to-the wall! For some insight into conditions in Britain had Germany prevailed, Len Deighton's novel "SS-GB" is worth reading. Grim.

Many thanks to LVSteve for this thread.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[S-W4EVER]

I remember Churchill's funeral on our little B&W TV, live, via satellite. Few humans achieve his stature. A true hero.

I enjoyed "Darkest Hour".

 

[Baxter6551]

I had chills go down my back reading the short article. Just imagine his life those few years and to be shot down 4 times ….. ??? !!!

 

[oldbrownhat]

I had chills go down my back reading the short article. Just imagine his life those few years and to be shot down 4 times ….. ??? !!!

Nearly didn't make it to collect his DFC, either

On July 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross - awarded to RAF personnel for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty while flying on active operations.

On the way to receive his medal from the King, he was forced to escape from a Blenheim aircraft, which crashed during take-off.
​

Talk about "life in the fast lane". Often death, too.

 

[LVSteve]

Had a teacher back in England who was a Nav/Bombardier in Blenheims. He survived one mission where their kite hit the mast of a fishing boat over a misty North Sea. His plane was shot down over occupied Europe not too long afterwards and spent at least four years as a POW.

When first flown, the Blenheim could outrun nearly all the biplane fighters of the day. Trouble was in the few short years leading up to WWII, advances in monoplane fighters made the Blenheim all but obsolete.

 

[quikdraw67]

The Spitfire gets all the glamour, but there were more Hurricanes in service during the Battle of Britain.

RIP Sir, sounds like you lived a hell of a life.