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Hurricane named after last Battle of Britain pilot

Zara Healy
BBC News
PA Media An older man looks directly into the camera wearing a military uniform and hat. Behind him is a oil painting showing a man saluting. The painting is slightly out of focus. PA Media
John 'Paddy' Hemingway, who died in March at the age of 105, has been honoured with a Hurricane named after him

The last Battle of Britain pilot, John "Paddy" Hemingway, who died at the age of 105 in March, has been honoured for his courage and resilience during World War Two.

His name has been added to the body of Hurricane LF363 which is based at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) at RAF Coningsby.

The 21-year-old fighter pilot flew Hurricanes in 1940, when he and others defended Britain against the German air force.

The BBMF and Royal Air Force said: "His courage in the face of overwhelming odds demonstrated his sense of duty and the importance of British resilience."

RAF A side view of the fuselage of a Hawker Hurricane plane, which has the words Gp Capt John Hemingway DFC written on it.RAF
The name 'Gp Capt John Hemingway DFC' has been added to Hurricane LF363 at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at RAF Coningsby

The pilot, known as Paddy, flew Hurricanes almost daily and was shot down four times.

His squadron downed 90 enemy aircraft during an 11-day period in May 1940, and provided fighter cover during the Battle of France.

Sqn Ldr Ronan Carey from the RAF has been liaising with his family to plan the tribute to a remarkable but modest man.

"Paddy called the Hurricane his office and and as you look at his log book over that period of time, he was often flying three, four or five sorties a day," he said.

"It was a daily occurrence to get into that aircraft, strap himself in and get up into the air as quickly as possible, not knowing what he would face when he went up there."

Hemingway Family Archive A black and white photo of a group of RAF pilots in wartime Britain. Four men are sitting down, with two smoking pipes. The room they are in has two dart boards on the wall, and two men are playing the game.Hemingway Family Archive
Pilots known as 'The Few' who took part in the Battle of Britain in 1940 and were praised for their bravery

Sqn Ldr Carey said: "As part of our memorial to Paddy we decided to put his name on one of the BBMF's Hurricanes. We believe it's the last Hurricane to come off the production line and we have now dedicated it to the last Battle of Britain pilot for this season."

Paddy received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1941 - awarded to RAF personnel for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty while flying on active operations.

But he remained modest and told the BBC in 2023: "I don't think we ever assumed greatness of any form. We were just fighting a war which we were trained to fight."

PA Media A close up view of a man in a blue RAF uniform. The photo is focused on his chest, where there are five medals attached to the uniform. There are two silver-coloured medals, a cross and a circle, and three star-shaped bronze medals. All the medals are attached to striped ribbons.PA Media
John 'Paddy' Hemingway was awarded multiple medals but he has been described as a 'modest' man

The RAF said the Hurricane played a vital role in the Battle of Britain.

There are only 12 airworthy examples left in the world.

Two are based at the BBMF in Lincolnshire, including the one bearing Paddy's name.

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