PAUL FARNES: FIGHTER ACE

Paul Farnes was one of the last survivors of The Few and his death in January, followed in May by Terry Clark, leaves John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway as the final survivor. We spoke to Farnes in 2017 and he shared his experiences of what it was like to participate in that fateful battle.

Born on 16 July 1918, Farnes joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve aged 19 in April 1938. It was fortuitous timing: “Germany was becoming a bit of a nuisance and I think everyone was getting a bit jittery, so I was glad to be in the services.” At this time the British government decided that VRs could