A former RAF pilot who launched a charity which flies humanitarian aid to isolated communities has died, with his wife paying tribute to him having “lavished 103 years of love” into the world.
Jack Hemmings, who protected the Bay of Bengal from Japanese invasion during the Second World War, died on January 24 in hospital in Sussex, his charity Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) announced.
Known to many as “lovely Jack”, his family said he left the world a better place.
Jack Hemmings visited the Bayeux War Cemetery in France ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day last year (Jane Barlow/PA)
Mr Hemmings co-founded humanitarian aid service MAF in the aftermath of the Second World War alongside D-Day veteran Stuart King – a former RAF engineer who died in 2020.
The pair took on the first British mission to survey the humanitarian needs of isolated communities across Central Africa in 1948, visiting more than 100 aid and mission outposts.
Last February, he took to the sky in a Spitfire, flying the aircraft for the first time, from Biggin Hill airfield to raise money for MAF, describing being back behind the controls as “absolutely delightful”.
He is believed to be the oldest British pilot to fly a Spitfire.
Paying tribute, his wife Kate, 77, said: “‘Lovely Jack’, the phrase that tripped off the tongue of so many people who met him for the first time. Indeed, those were my words after our first encounter.
“Jack was always young, engaging with everyone from young children and teenagers up to centenarians. His many friends followed different religions and people with no religious beliefs. But his drive was humanitarian, providing hope and relieving human suffering.
“Oh, my lovely Jack, this world will be very strange without you but you’ve left it a better place for having lavished 103 years of love into it.”
Mr Hemmings’ son, Adrian, remembered his father as “loving and affectionate”, and told of how he will miss going for a “crafty pint” with him.
“He instilled in us a deep respect for others and a genuine interest in people,” he said.
“He remained playful and humorous throughout his life, always making others feel welcome and enjoying their company. Living fully in the present, he stayed engaged with current affairs right up until his death.
“Before his final hospital admission, he and I would regularly go out for a ‘crafty pint’ – a tradition I will deeply miss”.
Mr Hemmings’ grandchildren, William, Beatrice and Olivia Hemmings, said they could not have asked for a better grandfather, calling him a “legend”.
“He was a man of boundless energy, joy and love – who filled every moment he could with adventure,” they said.
“Whether hurtling down hills with us on a toboggan, whisking us off to France in his aeroplane for lunch, or building a magnificent treehouse in his 80s perched nonchalantly on a 12ft ladder, he had a vitality and passion for life which inspired us deeply.
“So much so, that when asked in school to write about our hero, rather than choosing a footballer or pop star, all of us wrote about Grandpa Jack.”
Jack Hemmings flew a Spitfire at 102 years old (Gareth Fuller/PA)
“Our childhood was filled with magical moments in the garden, eyes to the sky, scanning to spot him doing aerobatics in his plane,” they continued.
“We stood on the trampoline holding handmade signs, hoping he would spot us as he soared overhead.
“These are the memories we will forever cherish and share with generations to come. Every time we see a little plane in the sky, we think of him and proudly tell of the legend which was our remarkable Grandpa Jack.”
Mr Hemmings was awarded the Air Force Cross for exemplary gallantry while flying and also received the RAF’s Master Air Pilot award.
Born in Bentham, Yorkshire, in 1921, his flying career began when he volunteered to join the RAF aged 19 and saw him survive several crashes which eventually earned him the nickname “Crasher Jack”.