Last Surviving Battle of Britain Pilot Dies

John 'Paddy' Hemingway, an Irishman who served in the British RAF during the famous 1940 aerial campaign, died this week at 105.

Mark Phelps

Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 04:53 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

John 'Paddy' Hemingway (center) was the last surviving participant of the 1940 Battle of Britain.[Courtesy: British Ministry of Defense]

Key Takeaways:

Group Captain John "Paddy" Hemingway, the last surviving pilot from the 1940 Battle of Britain, passed away at 105 on St. Patrick's Day.
An decorated Irishman in the RAF, he was a distinguished pilot who destroyed enemy aircraft, participated in the Dunkirk evacuation, and notably survived being shot down four times during WWII.
His death signifies the "end of an era" for "The Few" who valiantly defended Britain against the Luftwaffe's attempts at air superiority.

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Group Captain John “Paddy” Hemingway, DFC, AE, an Irishman who served in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during the 1940 Battle of Britain, died Monday, St. Patrick’s Day, at the age of 105.

Hemingway was the last surviving of “The Few” participants in the epic air campaign. The summer of 1940 saw the outnumbered RAF stymie the Luftwaffe’s attempts to establish air superiority over England in advance of a German invasion that never came.