Farewell, Group Captain John Hemingway DFC
- Malcolm
- Mar 17
- 3 min read
The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust was saddened to hear of the death on Monday 17 March, 2025, of Group Captain John Allman Hemingway DFC, thought to have been the last of the Few. The following tribute is accompanied by the Trust's deepest sympathies to his family.
Group Captain John 'Paddy' Hemingway, DFC, who has died aged 105, flew in RAF Fighter Command in both the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain in 1940. With his death, it is believed that there are now no survivors of the Allied aircrew who flew in the latter and became known as “the Few”.
He was one of about 10 Irish nationals to take part in the Battle of Britain. Ireland was officially neutral in the Second World War, but the Irish and British governments co-operated in some respects. Many other Irish people served in British forces or contributed to the Allied war effort in diverse ways.
John Hemingway, of Yorkshire stock, was born on 17 July 1919 at Rathmines, on the south side of Dublin. His father was born in Belfast and his mother, daughter of a doctor, had the maiden name, Allman. Their son was educated at St Patrick’s Cathedral Choir School and St Andrew’s College, Dublin. He later explained that he had no particular ambition to take up flying but decided on applying to the RAF after coming under pressure from his father to select a career.
He received a short service commission and began his training in the spring of 1938, qualifying as a pilot. In early 1940 he was in France, flying Hurricanes with No 85 Squadron.
On 10 May 1940, the first day of the German Blitzkrieg, 85 was based at Lille/Seclin airfield. Pilot Officer ‘Paddy’ Hemingway claimed the destruction of a Heinkel He111. On the 11th he shared in the destruction of a Dornier Do17 but was hit by flak over the Dutch city of Maastricht and made a forced landing.
The following day another Irish-born RAF pilot, Flying Officer Donald Garland, earned a posthumous VC (as did his observer, Sergeant Thomas Gray) in the vicinity of Maastricht. Garland led an heroic and hopeless attack by Fairey Battles of No 12 Squadron on heavily defended bridges across the Albert Canal, being used in the German advance.
Hemingway eventually returned to his squadron, assisted by the Army, on 15 May. On the 17th he was sent back to the UK for a rest.
In July and August 85 was based at Debden and then Croydon. On 18 August Hemingway took to his parachute after his aircraft was damaged by return fire from a Junkers Ju88, engaged over the Thames Estuary. He was rescued from the sea by a lightship, 12 miles east of Clacton.
On the 26th he was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf109 over Eastchurch airfield, Isle of Sheppey and baled out, unhurt. In 2019 the site of his Hurricane's crash on Pitsea Marsh, Essex was excavated and artefacts were recovered, including the engine and control column. Hemingway damaged a Bf109 on 31 August. On this day the squadron suffered the temporary loss of its CO, Squadron Leader Peter Townsend, who was wounded.
On 3 September the remnants of 85 moved to Castle Camps on the borders of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex and shortly afterwards to Church Fenton, Yorkshire. On 22 September Hemingway, low on fuel, forced-landed near Burnley, Lancashire during a patrol in poor weather. Two other Hurricanes forced-landed but all three pilots were safe.
After the Battle of Britain, Hemingway flew Turbinlite Havocs at night. He was awarded the DFC on 1 July 1941. He was rested and by his own account was suffering from battle fatigue. He became a controller.
At the end of the war Hemingway commanded No 43 Squadron, "The Fighting Cocks", flying Spitfires in Italy. He was forced to bale out once more, escaping injury.
He remained in the RAF and his post-war appointments included spells with NATO, at the Air Ministry and command of RAF Leconfield.
John Hemingway retired from the service on 12 September 1969. For a time in later life, he lived in Canada with his daughter. Towards the end of his life he resided in a nursing home at Foxrock, Co Dublin.
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