The last surviving pilot of the Battle of Britain in 1940 has died at the age of 105, marking "the end of an era," the British Royal Air Force announced on Monday evening.
John 'Paddy' Hemingway "passed away peacefully" on Monday, according to a statement from the RAF.
Hemingway was among the pilots known as "The Few", a term coined by Winston Churchill for those who participated in the aerial defence of Great Britain during the Second World War.
Born in Dublin in 1919, Hemingway joined the RAF in 1938, a year before the conflict erupted in Europe.
In 1940, during the Battle of Britain, Hemingway shot down a German Luftwaffe aircraft, but his Hurricane fighter plane was hit and he was forced to make an emergency landing, the RAF said.
In intense combat during August 1940, Hemingway was twice forced to eject from his aircraft, once landing in the sea and another time in marshlands.
He was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his bravery.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute, stating that Hemingway never saw himself as a hero but simply as a man doing his job, like many others of his generation. "Their sense of duty and service ensured our freedom, and we will never forget them," the Labour leader added.
"We owe much to Paddy and his generation for the freedoms we enjoy today. We will always remember their bravery and sacrifice," Prince William, heir to the throne, said on Tuesday.
