The last known surviving Battle of Britain fighter pilot has been reunited with a Hurricane aircraft, the type he flew during the war.
Group Captain (retired) John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, who turned 103 this week, was the guest of honour at the Irish Air Corps’ centenary year Veterans Day at Casement Aerodrome in Co Dublin on Friday.
As part of the ceremony, the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, comprising an Avro Lancaster bomber and a Hawker Hurricane, flew in formation over Dublin before landing at the aerodrome.
Group Captain Hemmingway was brought to the vintage fighter in a wheelchair, and its engines were powered up, so he could once again experience the sight and sound of his WWII “office”.
The RAF’s Air Marshal Sir Rich Knighton said: “Group Captain Paddy Hemingway, the last of The Few, is a true inspiration and his accomplishments are as relevant today as they were more than 80 years ago.
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