{"id":1112,"date":"2025-03-17T21:21:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T22:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2025-03-18T23:11:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T23:11:49","slug":"prince-williams-tribute-after-death-of-battle-of-britain-pilot-paddy-hemingway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/17\/prince-williams-tribute-after-death-of-battle-of-britain-pilot-paddy-hemingway\/","title":{"rendered":"Prince William\u2019s tribute after death of Battle of Britain pilot Paddy Hemingway"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Prince has paid tribute to the last surviving member of \u2018The Few\u2019 (Picture: PA\/Alamy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prince William<\/a> has paid tribute to the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain. <\/p>\n

John \u2018Paddy\u2019 Hemingway died yesterday aged 105 and the Prince of Wales said we \u2018owe so much\u2019 to him and his generation.<\/p>\n

Dublin-born Paddy joined the RAF in 1938, and two years later was among the cohort who were memorably dubbed \u2018the few\u2019 by Winston Churchill.<\/p>\n

His death comes less than two months before the UK marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day<\/a> with several days<\/a> of celebrations and commemorations.<\/p>\n

Prince William said in a message on X: \u2018I was sad to hear about the passing of John \u2018Paddy\u2019 Hemingway this morning, the last of \u201cThe Few\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018We owe so much to Paddy and his generation for our freedoms today. <\/p>\n

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Paddy Hemingway during his time in the RAF (Picture: X\/@RoyalAirForce)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Their bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered. We shall never forget them.\u2019<\/p>\n

Before climbing into his Hurricane cockpit to fight the Luftwaffe over Britain in 1940, Paddy also fought in the Battle of France and flew supporting missions in the Battle of Dunkirk.<\/p>\n

He served as a pilot in No 85 Squadron, which was in the front line of the 11 Group (Fighter Command) response to Nazi aircraft attacking the UK in what became known as the Battle of Britain.<\/p>\n

In August 1940, he was twice forced to bail out of his fighter plane \u2013 landing off the coast of Essex one time, and in marshland the other.<\/p>\n

In all, the Irishman was shot down four times in battle but always lived to tell the tale.<\/p>\n

He remained in the RAF for almost 15 years after the end of the Second World War, finally retiring as a Group Captain in 1969.<\/p>\n

On May 7 2020, Paddy became the last surviving member of The Few when Terry Clark died<\/a> hours before the 75th anniversary of VE Day.<\/p>\n

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The RAF described Paddy as \u2018quiet, composed, thoughtful and mischievous\u2019 (Picture: X\/@RoyalAirForce)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When asked about the secret to his long life, he replied: \u2018I can\u2019t say don\u2019t drink. I can\u2019t say don\u2019t fool about with people. I can\u2019t say don\u2019t fly and get shot at \u2013 I\u2019ve done everything, and I\u2019m an Irishman. <\/p>\n

\u2018The only advice I can give to people is to be Irish.\u2019<\/p>\n

His death at the age of 105 came on St Patrick\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was \u2018saddened\u2019 to hear of Paddy\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

He added: \u2018Eighty years ago, the courage and determination of Paddy and all our brave RAF pilots helped bring an end to the Second World War. <\/p>\n

\u2018They fearlessly flew over enemy territory to protect the UK and its Allies, risking their lives.<\/p>\n

\u2018He never considered himself a hero and often referred to himself as the \u201cLucky Irishman\u201d, a man simply doing his job, like so many others of his generation. <\/p>\n

\u2018Despite 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.<\/p>\n

\u2018Their sense of duty and service secured our freedom, and we shall never forget them.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Portraits reflecting Paddy\u2019s life were unveiled at the British Embassy in Dublin for his 105th birthday last July (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, Chief of the Air Staff, said he was \u2018thankful\u2019 to have been able to \u2018meet and spend time with him in Dublin, most recently in January this year\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018Paddy was an amazing character whose life story embodies all that was and remains great about the Royal Air Force,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

Sir Rich added: \u2018His passing should make us reflect not only on his sacrifices, but the sacrifices of all those who served and fought in the air, on the ground and on the seas during this period, as well as those workers producing vital equipment for the military and those families at home.<\/p>\n

\u2018This was a generation who understood the importance of service and comradeship. A generation who believed that with hard work, clarity of purpose and a determination to succeed, they would not lose. <\/p>\n

\u2018Their efforts and the efforts of all our personnel past and present are the bedrock on which the Royal Air Force maintains the security of the UK at home and abroad.\u2019<\/p>\n

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Prince has paid tribute to the last surviving member of \u2018The Few\u2019 (Picture: PA\/Alamy) Prince William has paid tribute to the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain. John \u2018Paddy\u2019 Hemingway died yesterday aged 105 and the Prince of Wales said we \u2018owe so much\u2019 to him and his generation. Dublin-born […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1112"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1119,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions\/1119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}