WW2 Hero Hemingway Honoured with Namesake Hurricane

In a heartfelt tribute to the late John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, a Hurricane aircraft now bears his name. This honour is in recognition of his valiant services during the Second World War and his undying spirit that epitomised British resilience. Hemingway, who passed away aged 105 in March, was a 21-year-old fighter pilot back in 1940, bravely defending our shores against the German air force in the cockpit of a Hurricane. Based at RAF Coningsby’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), the named Hurricane LF363 stands as a testament to Hemingway’s heroism. Known for his modesty, Paddy, as he was fondly called, was regularly in the thick of the action, having been shot down four times and his squadron was credited with bringing down 90 enemy aircraft within a span of 11 days in May 1940. In honour of this incredible man, his name now graces the last Hurricane to roll off the production line for this season. Hemingway was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1941 for his acts of valour and devotion to duty, yet he remained unassuming, once stating, ‘We were just fighting a war which we were trained to fight.’ The RAF underscores the crucial role Hurricanes played in the Battle of Britain, with only 12 airworthy examples remaining globally, two of which reside at BBMF in Lincolnshire, including the newly christened ‘Paddy’.