Hero Battle of Britain veteran Archie McInnes dies hours after celebrating his 100th birthday

Goodbye to one of the last of The Few: Hero Battle of Britain veteran Archie McInnes dies hours after celebrating his 100th birthday

Flight Lieutenant Archie McInnes flew Hurricanes in the Second World War
Battle of Britain hero died on Wednesday after celebrating his 100th birthday
Flt Lt McInnes joined the reserve RAF in 1938 and finished pilot training aged 21
He was shot down by a Messerschmitt and lost his left arm on October 30, 1941
His biographer revealed Flt Lt McInnes’ death means just five British veterans of the Battle of Britain now remain

By Henry Martin For Mailonline

Published: 09:36 BST, 2 August 2019 | Updated: 11:36 BST, 2 August 2019

A Battle of Britain hero died hours after celebrating his 100th birthday, leaving just five surviving members of ‘The Few’ who fought in the aerial conflict, his biographer revealed.

Flight Lieutenant Archie McInnes finished his pilot training aged 21, was commissioned the next day and went on to fly Hurricanes while fighting for control of the skies over southern England in the Second World War.

The World War Two veteran was also on board HMS Victorious as part of the team hunting the German battleship Bismarck, and lost his left arm when he was shot down by a Messerschmitt during the North African campaign in October 1941.

He died hours after celebrating his 100th birthday on Wednesday, July 31.

Archie McInnes, pictured at the flight simulator at RAF Coningsby in February 2019, died after celebrating his 100th birthday

Battle of Britain veteran Archie McInnes pictured flying in a Spitfire above Kent last year

His biographer and friend Jonny Cracknell wrote on Twitter: ‘It is with a heavy heart and incredible sadness to advise the tragic news that Battle of Britain hero Archie McInnes sadly passed away last night, just hours after celebrating his 100th birthday amongst friends and family.

Pictured: Archie McInnes during his flying days

‘An inspiration and hero of a man – rest in peace dear Archie.’

He had earlier written to wish the veteran a happy birthday, noting that he was the ‘last of the six remaining Battle of Britain ”Few” to become a centenarian’.

Those who fought in the three-and-a-half-month Battle of Britain came to be known as The Few after a speech by prime minister Winston Churchill, who said of their sacrifices in battle: ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’

The British victory marked a turning point in the Second World War, but by the end of the battle 544 RAF pilots and aircrew had died.

Flight Lieutenant McInnes was born on July 31 1919 and joined the RAF volunteer reserve in 1938, the year before the war broke out.

He completed his pilot training in August 1940 and was commissioned the next day.

He flew Hurricanes with 601 Squadron in Exeter, later moving to 238 Squadron at Chilbolton, Hampshire, on October 8 1940.

Those who fought in the three-and-a-half-month Battle of Britain came to be known as The Few after a speech by prime minister Winston Churchill (pictured: Archie McInnes)

The flight was organised ahead of the 78th anniversary of Battle of Britain Day, September 15 last year

After the Battle of Britain ended on October 31 1940 he was on board HMS Victorious hunting the Bismarck, and fom April 1941 he was part of the North African campaign where he flew various missions including providing cover for bombers.

He was released from the RAF in 1946 as a flight lieutenant and eventually retired to village life just outside Cambridge.

Mr Cracknell, who was Flt Lt McInnes’s biographer, wrote on his website that it was a ‘huge privilege helping gain Archie some long-overdue recognition as a hero’.

Last year Flt Lt McInnes was pictured beaming with delight as he was taken for a flight in a two-seater Spitfire over Kent, aged 99.

The Spitfire, owned and operated by Peter Monk out the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar at Westerham, was joined on its flight by the one-seater Hurricane – the plane Archie flew in World War Two.

Archie was pictured beaming with joy when he saw his beloved Hurricane flying on the wing of the Spitfire during the flight – organised and photographed by Jonny Cracknell, working alongside the Battle of Britain Museum.

‘The Few’: Churchill’s tribute to the Battle of Britain heroes

The following is an excerpt from Winston Churchill’s ‘The Few’ speech to the House of Commons on August 20, 1940:

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.

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

All hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day; but we must never forget that all the time, night after night, month after month, our bomber squadrons travel far into Germany, find their targets in the darkness by the highest navigational skill, aim their attacks, often under the heaviest fire, often with serious loss, with deliberate careful discrimination, and inflict shattering blows upon the whole of the technical and war-making structure of the Nazi power.

On no part of the Royal Air Force does the weight of the war fall more heavily than on the daylight bombers, who will play an invaluable part in the case of invasion and whose unflinching zeal it has been necessary in the meanwhile on numerous occasions to restrain.

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