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[EviLore]

John Hemingway: Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies aged 105 - BBC News

Mr Hemingway, who is originally from Dublin, joined the RAF as a teenager before World War Two.

www.bbc.com

—————
The pilot's squadron shot down 90 enemy aircraft during an 11-day period in May 1940, and provided fighter cover during the Battle of France.

During the war, Gp Capt Hemingway was shot down four times.

During dogfights – or one-on-one aerial combats - in August 1940, Mr Hemingway was forced to bail out of his Hurricane single-seat fighter on two occasions, landing in the sea off the coast of Essex and in marshland.

The wreckage of his Hurricane was recovered in 2019 with the control column and the gun-button still set to "fire".

In July 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross - awarded to RAF personnel for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty while flying on active operations.

On the way to receive his medal from the King, he was forced to escape from a Blenheim aircraft, which crashed during take-off.

While serving with the 85 Squadron in RAF Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, Mr Hemingway was forced to bail out of his Havoc night fighter at 600ft (183m) due to instrument failure in bad weather.

He broke his hand on the tail section and his parachute failed to open, with the chute catching on the branches of a tree.

He was forced to bail out a fourth time while fighting near Ravenna, Italy, when his Spitfire was hit multiple times. He landed in enemy territory, and made contact with Italian citizens, who helped him back to the Allies.

Speaking to BBC News NI in 2023, Gp Capt Hemingway said he had never looked for fame for being part of "The Few".

"I don't think we ever assumed greatness of any form," he said.

"We were just fighting a war which we were trained to fight."

Mr Hemingway said that his biggest regret was the loss of friends, in particular that of Richard "Dickie" Lee in August 1940.
—————

 

[EviLore]

For the uninitiated:

 

[AJUMP23]

I don't think I have ever seen a dude look so cool.

 

[Lunarorbit]

John Hemingway: Last surviving Battle of Britain pilot dies aged 105 - BBC News

Mr Hemingway, who is originally from Dublin, joined the RAF as a teenager before World War Two.

www.bbc.com

—————
The pilot's squadron shot down 90 enemy aircraft during an 11-day period in May 1940, and provided fighter cover during the Battle of France.

During the war, Gp Capt Hemingway was shot down four times.

During dogfights – or one-on-one aerial combats - in August 1940, Mr Hemingway was forced to bail out of his Hurricane single-seat fighter on two occasions, landing in the sea off the coast of Essex and in marshland.

The wreckage of his Hurricane was recovered in 2019 with the control column and the gun-button still set to "fire".

In July 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross - awarded to RAF personnel for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty while flying on active operations.

On the way to receive his medal from the King, he was forced to escape from a Blenheim aircraft, which crashed during take-off.

While serving with the 85 Squadron in RAF Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, Mr Hemingway was forced to bail out of his Havoc night fighter at 600ft (183m) due to instrument failure in bad weather.

He broke his hand on the tail section and his parachute failed to open, with the chute catching on the branches of a tree.

He was forced to bail out a fourth time while fighting near Ravenna, Italy, when his Spitfire was hit multiple times. He landed in enemy territory, and made contact with Italian citizens, who helped him back to the Allies.

Speaking to BBC News NI in 2023, Gp Capt Hemingway said he had never looked for fame for being part of "The Few".

"I don't think we ever assumed greatness of any form," he said.

"We were just fighting a war which we were trained to fight."

Mr Hemingway said that his biggest regret was the loss of friends, in particular that of Richard "Dickie" Lee in August 1940.
—————

So did those 1 seater planes have an ejector or did you just jump out? Says he parachuted out 4 times which is amazing

 

[AJUMP23]

So did those 1 seater planes have an ejector or did you just jump out? Says he parachuted out 4 times which is amazing

you jumped out.

 

[calistan]

He kept respawning back at the base, Battlefield style, waiting for a new aircraft to appear.

 

[Smiggs]

Some people just have zero quit built into them and absolutely refuse to die, and this bad ass was one of them. RIP to a legend.

 

[jason10mm]

I don't think I have ever seen a dude look so cool.

I can't see what he looks like because his huge brass balls are in the way.

 

[AJUMP23]

I can't see what he looks like because his huge brass balls are in the way.

That is a life-vest.

 

[jason10mm]

That is a life-vest.

Fun fact, that guy was never allowed to land on aircraft carriers because his huge balls kept knocking holes in the deck!

 

[EviLore]

So did those 1 seater planes have an ejector or did you just jump out? Says he parachuted out 4 times which is amazing

One of those four times he collided with the tail on his way out at 600 ft up and his parachute failed to open and he still survived

 

[Sardaukarama]

Amazing generation of Men and Women , I hope he is flying high R.I.P

 

[MrA]

Amazing generation of Men and Women , I hope he is flying high R.I.P

His squadron shot down 5% of all German aircraft, take his squadron out of the equation and Britain falls,
In a very real and meaningful way, he saved the world.
Edit 5% in the battle of britain

 

[mitch1971]

You got to laugh at some of the pussies living today. Don't know they're bloody born.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Their children are the weak men who have created the hard times we live in today. The last generation of Fighters.

Dude looked incredible in his youth. No British people look like that today.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Mad respect, tfw you realize that you'll never achieve as much, and you'll probably die sooner.

 

[Gp1]

So did those 1 seater planes have an ejector or did you just jump out? Says he parachuted out 4 times which is amazing

Ejector seats as we know were not a thing until the 50's/ early 60's.

You basically release the harness, open the canopy and jump. If you can't get out, the idea was to roll the aircraft upsidedown and let gravity works.

And try no get impaled by the vertical stabilizer in the process. (One of the main reasons for the development of rocket powered ejector seats as we know)

 

[dave_d]

Ejector seats as we know were not a thing until the 50's/ early 60's.

You basically release the harness, open the canopy and jump. If you can't get out, the idea was to roll the aircraft upsidedown and let gravity works.

And try no get impaled by the vertical stabilizer in the process. (One of the main reasons for the development of rocket powered ejector seats as we know)

Or get nailed by the engine if you were flying this German fun toy(They had to put an ejector seat in it.)

 

[bender]

God speed.

 

[StabbyStabStabStabStab]

Their children are the weak men who have created the hard times we live in today. The last generation of Fighters.

Dude looked incredible in his youth. No British people look like that today.

Yes they do - you'll find them at hipster cafes serving unhomogenised lattes. GOOD ON THEM.

 

[The Skull]

Rest easy solider. Thank you for your service and bravery.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Is the last man of WW II?

 

[Sakura]

Is the last man of WW II?

No there are still like over 100,000

 

[JayK47]

Truly the greatest generation.

 

[ssringo]

RIP to the last of "The Few"

 

[Pagusas]

Is the last man of WW II?

No, just last battle of Brittan pilot

 

[P:axMagellanic]

Salute to an absolute chad. Unfortunately lived to see the utter destruction of one of the greatest civilisations to stride the globe.

 

[newtypepilot]

this is what a true hero looks like. Imaging surviving getting shot down 4 times.

RIP o7

 

[FatallyYours]

Those 3000 chaps saved more than just the UK from Hitlers war machine. End of an era indeed

 

[Liljagare]

R.I.P. to a legend.

 

[poppabk]

You got to laugh at some of the pussies living today. Don't know they're bloody born.

Not to mention demanding fame because they pulled a 'prank'.

Speaking to BBC News NI in 2023, Gp Capt Hemingway said he had never looked for fame for being part of "The Few".

 

[Liljagare]

Their children are the weak men who have created the hard times we live in today. The last generation of Fighters.

Dude looked incredible in his youth. No British people look like that today.

To be fair towards them, and their generation, they did believe that their children would never again have to face the War again, so, they let them get the best and enjoy a certain sort of innocence and tons of new freedoms. My grandfather, a French Foreign Legionare, always told us that he seriously believed for a many years, that the evil had been cut down in this world, and there would never be another World War, because people have learned their lesson.

That just didn't pan out, and living memory is short, so the same mistakes were made, again, rather quickly.

Hate to see the day when all the voices of WW2 are gone, while they live, they tell the story.

(Though, seems it is bloody hard for people to listen).

 

[Tams]

RIP hero.

 

[Tams]

So did those 1 seater planes have an ejector or did you just jump out? Says he parachuted out 4 times which is amazing

Bruh, they didn't have ejector seats at the time. They had to climb out.

Also, early ejector seat testers were mad as a box of frogs.

 

[Hookshot]

Really shows the value of the Channel. It's only 20 miles at it's narrowest yet after failing here the Nazi's went east for over 1,000 miles and got all the way to Moscow.

 

[Tams]

Really shows the value of the Channel. It's only 20 miles at it's narrowest yet after failing here the Nazi's went east for over 1,000 miles and got all the way to Moscow.

And yet if you have a dinghy...

We've utterly squandered what these heroes fought for.