The last fighter ace of the Battle of Britain in World War II has died at the age of 101.
Paul Farnes was one of 3,000 Allied airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain in 1940 and the only surviving ace — a Hurricane pilot who brought down five or more German aircraft. Over the course of 3 1/2 months from July to October, his tally was six aircraft destroyed, one probably destroyed, and six damaged. He was just 21 and a sergeant at the time. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for his exploits.
The Battle of Britain claimed the lives of 544 Royal Air Force pilots and aircrew. Farnes was later commissioned as an officer and served in Malta, North Africa, and Iraq. He reached the rank of wing commander before retiring from the RAF in 1958. After his military service, Farnes ran a hotel in Worthing, West Sussex.
A great-grandfather, he recently said of his fellow pilots: “I don’t think the average chap was brave at all. He was trained to do a job and did it well.”
Hurricanes could not fly as fast or as high as the German fighters but had eight machine guns and were robust and reliable. Ammunition was in short supply, and pilots could only fire for about 15 seconds in total. “You would come down [on a German plane], have a quick burst of four or five seconds, and then possibly break away and have a look round,” Farnes recalled. “And, if it was clear, you’d go back and have another go.”
Describing flying conditions on the 70th anniversary of the battle in 2010, he said: “It was damned cold in the air, even in the summer — about minus 15. You had an Irvin jacket, but they were so clumsy and bulky. We seldom flew in them. You put on overalls, a pullover, and battledress jacket, and a Mae West [life jacket]. It got so cold that some of the chaps used to pinch their mother’s or girlfriend’s silk stockings and put those on. I never tried that.”
In 2015, he said: “The sky was filled with planes. Once you dived down and entered the fight, there was no going back and no question of looking out for your own people. It was chaotic and every man for himself.”
Now, only two Battle of Britain airmen remain alive, neither of them aces. Flight Lt. William Clark and Flying Officer John Hemingway are both 100.
Summing up his service, Farnes once said: “It was just part of my life. I’ve got no particular feelings about it. I quite enjoyed it, really.”
