Member's statement: John "Paddy" Hemingway
Member's statement by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on .
- MLA
- Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 18 March 2025
- Type
- Member's statement (made as a minister)
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- John "Paddy" Hemingway
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4860222
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I pay tribute to an absolute hero, John "Paddy" Hemingway, who passed away yesterday. John Hemingway, who was known as "Paddy", was born on 17 July 1919 and died on 17 March 2025, aged 105. We often talk about heroes, but, my goodness, this man was a hero. He was the last survivor of those who were known as "The Few" — those who fought with Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain. He was extraordinarily proud of being a member of the Royal Air Force and of being an Irishman. He signed up to 85 Squadron in April 1938 and flew Hurricanes and Spitfires. Read his obituary: my goodness, the things that he experienced. What a generation; the things that they did, what they sacrificed and the things that they saw are absolutely incredible. It is right that we pay tribute to that incredible generation. Of course, we grieve the passing of the last of "The Few". I am glad that, on his 105th birthday, at the British embassy in Dublin, he had a celebration marking his extraordinary life and the things that he achieved. It is also right to recognise how humble he was right to the last. On that occasion, he said:
"I am here because I had the staggering luck to fight alongside great pilots flying magnificent aircraft with the best ground crew in the best air force in the world."
John "Paddy" Hemingway, 17 July 1919 to 17 March 2025: an absolute hero.
248 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Another identity-related subject.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.02 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Another identity-related subject | 0.64 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.10 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.10 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.07 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.06 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.