Ranvir Singh halted Good Morning Britain (Image: ITV)
Presenter made a tragic announcement this morning as she halted to share the news of a death. The last surviving pilot from the Battle of Britain has died at the age of 105.
Ranvir, 47, shared that John “Paddy” Hemingway was just 19 years old when he flew his Hurricane fighter plane over France to protect the retreating at Dunkirk. She added: “He later flew sortie after sortie over Britain to stop the German Air Force from gaining control of the skies.”
Hemingway died aged 105 (Image: ITV)
The wartime hero was awarded the distinguished flying cross by the King in 1941. Ranvir said: “Despite his heroics, he said his biggest regret was the loss of friends.
“The Prime Minister has paid tribute saying ‘Their sense of duty and service secured our freedom, and we shall never forget them’.”
Sir ‘s full tribute to the late soldier said: “I am saddened to hear of the passing of John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway DFC, the last known pilot of the Battle of Britain.
“Eighty years ago, the courage and determination of Paddy and all our brave RAF pilots helped bring an end to the second world war. They fearlessly flew over enemy territory to protect the UK and its allies, risking their lives.
Don’t miss… [UPDATE]
“He never considered himself a hero and often referred to himself as the ‘lucky Irishman’, a man simply doing his job, like so many others of his generation. Despite his sacrifice, he would tell stories of the joyous memories he made and moments he shared with his peers, many of whom never returned home.
“Their sense of duty and service secured our freedom, and we shall never forget them.” Hemingway was the last surviving member of the Few after the death of Terry Clark in May 2020 aged 101.
Fans of GMB hoped that the war veteran would have a “good send off” as they commented on X/Twitter. One wrote: “I hope there’ll be an RAF flyby for him, true hero…”
Another added: “Give him a good send off, God bless him a true hero,” while a third said: “Very sad to lose a hero.”