The last known Battle of Britain pilot, Group Captain John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC celebrated his 105th birthday at the British Embassy in Dublin Ireland. The event was marked with the unveiling by Ms Elin Burns (Deputy UK Ambassador to Ireland), of portraits reflecting different stages in Gp Capt Hemingway’s life, which were painted by British artist Dan Llywelyn Hall.
Representatives from the Royal Air Force and Paddy’s family were hosted at the British Embassy.
“I am here because I had the staggering luck to fight alongside great pilots flying magnificent aircraft with the best ground crew in best air force in the world. It has been a pleasure to ask Dan to capture some moments of my life in his portraits.
I hope to see you all again. Next year”
Group Captain Hemingway DFC
“It is an honour and a privilege to celebrate Group Captain Hemmingway’s 105th Birthday here at the Embassy. Paddy is an inspiration and a true hero. Getting the chance to meet him and his family has been such a fantastic experience. We thank him for his many years of service and wish him many happy returns on such a special day.”
Ms Elin Burns
“It’s wonderful that we can celebrate Gp Capt Hemingway’s 105th Birthday in this way. Paddy is an extraordinary person and a true example of the RAF ethos of Service. The whole RAF wishes him a very Happy Birthday.”
Air Marshal Sean Reynolds
RAF Air Officer for Northern Ireland
Mr Dan Llywelyn Hall, Artist said, “In creating a series of portraits, I have emphasised different character facets of John’s rich personality. He is above all, a proud Irishman and occupies an utterly unique moment in our history - a shared history between Britain and Ireland - finding himself the final voice and embodiment of a defining period.”
The portraits will be auctioned at a later date, with some of the proceeds donated to Trinity Nursing Home in Dublin, where Paddy resides.
Pilot Officer John “Paddy” Hemingway, born in Dublin in 1919, joined the RAF in 1938. He was one of the young pilots of 85 Squadron that took off from Lille-Seclin aerodrome on strafing attacks, air patrols and dogfights in what became known as the “Battle of France”. No 85 squadron had been in France since the start of the “phoney war” in September 1939.
On 10th May 1940, Paddy was recorded as destroying a He-111, the following day he downed a Do-17 but his Hurricane fighter plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire, and he had to make a forced landing.
Returning to the UK, 85 Squadron, under a new commanding officer, Peter Townsend, became one of the front-line squadrons of 11 Group (Fighter Command) responded to the daily attacks from German aircraft, which became to be known as the ‘Battle of Britain’. Paddy’s logbook records, almost nonchalantly the sometimes up to five daily sorties he and the other pilots undertook in defence of the United Kingdom. In August 1940, during hectic dogfights, Paddy was twice forced to bail out of his Hurricanes, landing once in the sea off the Essex coast and in marshland on the other occasion.
On 1 July 1941, Paddy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and in September that year, he was Mentioned in Dispatches.
Paddy went on to serve as an Air Fighter Controller for Operation Overlord – the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. In 1945, he served in the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces with 324 Wing and eventually commanded 43 squadron, which served in Italy. It was during this time that he was forced to bail out a fourth time. While attacking enemy forces near Ravenna in April 1945, his Spitfire was hit multiple times by anti-aircraft fire. He parachuted into enemy territory and with the help of Italian locals, managed to contact Italian partisans, who helped him return to his squadron.
After the war, Paddy was posted to the Middle East and Greece. Paddy went on to work with NATO in HQ SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe). In 1966 he became Officer Commanding RAF Leconfield and eventually attained the rank of Group Captain.
