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The last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, John “Paddy” Hemingway, has died at the age of 105.
Mr Hemingway, who was originally from Dublin, joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a teenager before World War Two.
At 21, he was a fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain, a three-month period when air force personnel defended the skies against a large-scale assault by the German air force, the Luftwaffe.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to Mr Hemingway, saying his courage and those of all RAF pilots had “helped end WWII and secure our freedom”.
The Prince of Wales also paid tribute, saying that “we owe so much to Paddy and his generation for our freedoms today”.
Prince William added that “their bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered”.
The Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Emma Little-Pengelly described Mr Hemingway as “an absolute hero”.
Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly she said: “My goodness when you read his obituary, the things that he experienced.”
She added that the sacrifices of Mr Hemingway’s generation were “absolutely incredible”.
Those who fought in the three-and-a-half-month battle came to be known as “The Few” after a speech by the then Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill.
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” he said of their sacrifices in battle.
In a statement, the RAF said that Mr Hemingway had “passed away peacefully” on Monday.
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