The last of The Few: Battle of Britain fighter pilot celebrates 105th birthday
The last known Battle of Britain pilot has celebrated his 105th birthday at the British Embassy in Dublin.
Group Captain John 'Paddy' Hemingway DFC's special day was marked with portraits reflecting different stages of the Irishman's life.
The paintings were unveiled by Elin Burns, the Deputy UK Ambassador to Ireland, and created by British artist Dan Llywelyn Hall.
As well as representatives from the Royal Air Force, Group Captain John 'Paddy' Hemingway Paddy's family were also hosted at the Embassy.
Gp Cpt (Ret'd) Hemingway said he was "here because I had the staggering luck to fight alongside great pilots flying magnificent aircraft with the best ground crew in best air force in the world".
"It has been a pleasure to ask Dan to capture some moments of my life in his portraits," he said.
"I hope to see you all again next year."
The portraits will be auctioned at a later date, with some of the money donated to the nursing home where Gp Cpt Hemingway resides.
Artist Mr Llywelyn Hall said the portraits "emphasised different character facets" of the pilot's personality.
"He is above all, a proud Irishman and occupies an utterly unique moment in our history - a shared history between Britain and Ireland - finding himself the final voice and embodiment of a defining period," he said.
Gp Cpt Hemingway was born in Dublin in 1919 and joined the RAF in 1938.
Aas part of 85 Squadron he took part in attacks, patrols and dog fights in what became known as the Battle of France.
After being recorded as destroying a Heinkel He-111, the most recognisable German bomber, he followed this up with downing a Dornier Do-17 the following day.
But he was hit by anti-aircraft fire and had to make a forced landing.
He returned to the UK as part of 85 Squadron and responded to the daily attacks from German aircraft - later known as the Battle of Britain.
His logbook records, almost nonchalantly, how he was required to sometimes fly up to five daily sorties to defend the United Kingdom.
In August 1940 he was required to bail out of his Hurricane twice, and the following year he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) before being Mentioned in Dispatches in September 1941.
He went on to serve as an Air Fighter Controller for Operation Overlord, the codename given to the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.
The following year he served in the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces with 324 Wing and eventually commanded 43 Squadron, which served in Italy.
It was during this time that he was forced to bail out for a fourth time, with the incident occurring as he attacked enemy forces near Ravenna in 1945.
His Spitfire was hit multiple times and he was forced to parachute into enemy territory, but with the help of some locals he managed to contact Italian partisans who helped him return to his squadron.
Following the war, Gp Cpt Hemingway was posted to the Middle East and Greece and went on to work with Nato in HQ SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe).
In 1966 he became Officer Commanding RAF Leconfield and eventually attained the rank of Group Captain.
Air Marshal Sean Reynolds, RAF Air Officer for Northern Ireland, said it was "wonderful that we can celebrate Gp Cpt Hemingway's 105th birthday in this way".
"Paddy is an extraordinary person and a true example of the RAF ethos of service," he said.
"The whole RAF wishes him a very Happy Birthday."
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