LONDON (AP) — The last surviving pilot of the Battle of Britain has died, severing the last living link to the few thousand young men who fought the Nazi air force to a standstill amid fears that Britain might be forced to capitulate during the early months of World War II.
John "Paddy'' Hemingway, an Irish national who enlisted in the Royal Air Force before the war began, died Monday at his home in Dublin, the RAF said. He was 105.
Hemingway was just 20 years old when he and his comrades in the Royal Air Force took to the skies to fight off wave after wave of Nazi aircraft that sought to pound Britain into submission during the summer and autumn of 1940.
In August of that year, when German bombers were relentlessly targeting airfields in southern England and the outcome of the battle was still in doubt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously stood before the House of Commons to pay tribute to the young pilots who were defending Britain.
“The gratitude of every home in our island, in our empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion,” Churchill said. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
Britain has ever since revered “the few” for saving the country during its moment of peril. The Battle of Britain Memorial on the English Channel coast lists the names 2,941 Allied airmen who took part in the battle.
During dogfights with German aircraft in August of 1940, Hemingway was twice forced to bail out of his Hurricane fighter, once landing in the sea off the east coast of England before returning to his squadron to resume the fight, the RAF said. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry in 1941.
But Hemingway dismissed suggestions of bravery and heroism, saying he was a pilot and had a job to do.
“The world was at war, and you couldn’t go somewhere and say, ‘I’m at peace and I don’t fight wars,’” he said in a 2020 interview with the BBC.
“The main skill was luck. You had to be lucky, no matter how good you were. For instance, my boss, Dickie Lee, was the best pilot I’ve every seen, but he was shot down and killed. So he had no luck. I had bags of luck.”
Born July 17, 1919, in the Rathmines area of Dublin, Hemingway enlisted in the RAF in 1938.
He first saw action during the Nazi invasion of France, when he flew fighter cover for retreating British forces.
Following the Battle of Britain he worked as a controller, helping to direct the RAF’s response to German attacks. At the end of the war, Hemingway served as commander of No. 43 Squadron, which flew Spitfires in northern Italy.
Hemingway remained in the RAF after the war and retired in 1969 after more than 30 years of service.
FILE - The last known Battle of Britain pilot, Group Captain John 'Paddy' Hemingway DFC celebrating his 105th birthday at the British Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, July 17, 2024. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP, File)
FILE - The last known Battle of Britain pilot, Group Captain John 'Paddy' Hemingway DFC celebrating his 105th birthday at the British Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, July 17, 2024. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP, File)
FILE - The last known Battle of Britain pilot, Group Captain John 'Paddy' Hemingway DFC celebrating his 105th birthday at the British Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, July 17, 2024. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP, File)
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 9, 2026--
Cresco Labs Inc. (CSE: CL) (OTCQX: CRLBF) (FSE: 6CQ) (“Cresco Labs” or the “Company”), today announced the grand opening of Sunnyside Tamarac, located at 6001 N University Drive in Tamarac, Fla. It is the Company’s 31 st dispensary in Florida and 72 nd nationwide.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260109231887/en/
“Florida is the largest medical market in the country, and opening Sunnyside Tamarac reinforces our long-term commitment to serving patients across the state,” said Charlie Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs. “We’re focused on ensuring more patients can rely on Sunnyside for high-quality products and an approachable, educational retail experience.”
Sunnyside Tamarac offers a wide selection of cannabis products from Cresco Labs’s industry-leading brand portfolio, including Cresco, FloraCal, Supply, Good News, Remedi and Sunnyside. The store also has a curated selection of accessories.
Patients can place orders in store or online at www.sunnyside.shop. Store hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
About Cresco Labs Inc.
Cresco Labs’ mission is to normalize and professionalize the medical marijuana industry through a CPG approach to building national brands and a customer-focused retail experience, while acting as a steward for the industry on legislative and regulatory-focused initiatives. As a leader in cultivation, production and branded product distribution, the Company is leveraging its scale and agility to grow its portfolio of brands that include Cresco, High Supply, FloraCal, Good News, Wonder Wellness Co., Mindy’s and Remedi, on a national level. The Company also operates highly productive dispensaries nationally under the Sunnyside brand that focus on building patient and consumer trust and delivering ongoing education and convenience in a wonderfully traditional retail experience. Through year-round policy, community outreach and SEED initiative efforts, Cresco Labs embraces the responsibility to support communities through authentic engagement, economic opportunity, investment, workforce development and legislative initiatives designed to create the most responsible, respectable and robust medical marijuana industry possible. Learn more about Cresco Labs’ journey by visiting www.crescolabs.com or following the Company on Facebook, X or LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Such forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company’s beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company’s control. Generally, such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, ‘may,’ ‘will,’ ‘should,’ ‘could,’ ‘would,’ ‘expects,’ ‘plans,’ ‘anticipates,’ ‘believes,’ ‘estimates,’ ‘projects,’ ‘predicts,’ ‘potential’ or ‘continue’ or the negative of those forms or other comparable terms. The Company’s forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to those risks discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed on SEDAR+ and EDGAR, other documents filed by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory authorities; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Because of these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the Company’s forward-looking statements. No assurances are given as to the future trading price or trading volumes of Cresco Labs’ shares, nor as to the Company’s financial performance in future financial periods. The Company does not intend to update any of these factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the Company’s forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information, any future event or otherwise. Except as otherwise indicated, this press release speaks as of the date hereof. The distribution of this press release does not imply that there has been no change in the affairs of the Company after the date hereof or create any duty or commitment to update or supplement any information provided in this press release or otherwise.
Cresco Labs opened a new Sunnyside dispensary at 6001 N University Drive in Tamarac, Florida.
