Last of 'The Few' Dies at 105

News Discussion
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Group Captain John “Paddy” Hemingway, DFC, AE, an Irishman who served in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during the 1940 Battle of Britain, died Monday, St. Patrick’s Day, at the age of 105. Hemingway was the last surviving of “The Few” participants in the epic air campaign. The summer of 1940 saw the outnumbered RAF stymie the German Luftwaffe’s attempts to establish air superiority over England in advance of a German invasion that never came.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/paddy-hemingway-served-in-the-raf-during-the-epic-battle-of-britain-in-1940
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What an amazing story with a fabulous tribute by his son .several tears have been shed!

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Very nice write-up, Mark. Such a heroic, long life Captain “Paddy” lived.
Having had the opportunity to fly and fight for freedom from the far-right, totalitarian political ideology of Nazism - then seeing the victory and living that earned freedom. Glorious!

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Thank you. He was quite a man. And among his greatest qualities was his humility, as memorialized by his son’s song lyrics.

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Well done, son of Paddy. Well done. I’ve watched that video several times now and find it so poignant, I choke back tears every time I watch it. The greatest generation indeed.

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Small thing Mark… one is not “named” to a rank, rather “made” or “promoted”.

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Hi Mark
I was the photo editor at Air&Space/Smithsonian magazine and worked with you on a number of stories. Now that the illustrious magazine has been sunsetted, I read AvWebflash and enjoy reading your and Russ Niles’s pieces. Your story on Captain Hemingway among my favorites. I’ve added his son’s song to my playlist. One of the many reasons I loved working at A&S magazine was talking with and meeting all the impressive yet humble people in aviation that we did stories on. The greatest generation absolutely. Always has been, always will be.

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