How Spitfire Paddy became a hero to millions and inspired The Few
A gripping new documentary tells the story of the brave Irishman whose Battle of Britain exploits impressed Churchill and made him famous across the world
IT WAS one of the most celebrated speeches, not just of the Second World War, but of all time. When Prime Minister Winston Churchill stood up in the House of Commons on August 20, 1940, and spoke of “The Few”, the Fighter Boys defending Britain in their Spitfires and Hurricanes, he created a legend that has endured for more than 80 years.
One of the men who best exemplified the legend was an Irish pilot called Brendan “Paddy” Finucane. Over the next two years, the fame of this dashing young airman would spread across the globe. His aerial acts of derring-do prompted comparisons with the fictional pilot Biggles, and Finucane’s handsome features adorned the covers of Life magazine and featured in the New Yorker. Quite simply, he was an awe-inspiring ace.
Now ahead of the 80th anniversary of his death next week, Finucane’s stirring exploits have been captured in an absorbing new documentary, Spitfire Paddy.
Deeply concerned about the growing threat posed by the Nazis, Finucane signed up for the RAF aged just 17. He soon proved himself an outstanding Spitfire pilot, excelling in aerobatics and target practice.
Those skills proved extremely useful when the Battle of Britain began in 1940. One of only nine Irishmen who flew in the battle, he downed his first German fighter on August 1. He quickly acquired the nickname of “Spitfire Paddy” and was easily identifiable because of the green shamrock painted on the side of his fighter.
It would be wrong to think Finucane breezed through these aerial conflicts. His letters home indicate just how terrifying the experience was.
During the Battle of Britain, he wrote to his family: “On Wednesday afternoon, three of us got lost over France and the Huns gave us merry hell for about five minutes. “I’m telling you, it was uncomfortable.The anti-aircraft gunfire was terrific, and the sky was black with stuff. Then they started to sling up red hot lead at us. Shrapnel was bursting all over the place, and my aircraft was rocking like a leaf in a gale. How we were not brought down is a mystery.” The pilot’s father, Andy, had fought the British alongside future Irish President Eamon De Valera in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. His son’s application form for the RAF had to be signed by two guardians. Significantly, his father refused to sign it. Director Gerry Johnston, who made the documentary, said he was drawn to the story by the conflict in the family and also the level of responsibilities Finucane had at such a young age.
His exceptional gifts as a pilot and high number of kills led to rapid promotion. He became the youngest ever Wing Commander in the RAF at the age of 21 (a feat that still stands). His cousin, Brian Physick, told documentary makers that, despite his young age, Finucane exhibited outstanding leadership qualities.
“When Brendan was around, you always felt confident, and of course the Second World War gave him the opportunity to express all of the qualities and talents that he had in leadership.”
THE pilot was also someone who always rose to the occasion. “Brendan was something a bit special,” Brian continued. “You want to say, ‘Cometh the hour, cometh the man.’ He was that sort of person.”
After witnessing the devastating bombing of Southampton, Finucane told colleagues: “When this war is over, we must make sure it never happens again. It is a terrible way to settle anything.”
He was also acutely cognisant of the precarious nature of a Spitfire pilot’s existence, writing: “One time we would all be sitting having a singsong and a party in the airport, and then suddenly it comes to you that there is a raid tomorrow and half the chaps could be killed. You had to live with that all the time.”
In spite of such petrifying experiences, he
never lost his nerve. He went on to secure the second highest numbers of “kills” – 32 – in the entire war (after the storied RAF ace Johnnie Johnson). In the month of August 1941 alone, he shot down 11 enemy aircraft.
Even though he was rapidly becoming renowned throughout the world, Finucane never forgot his family. When they struggled to pay his younger sister Monica’s dancing bills, he stepped in to settle them.
He wrote to her: “Maybe you can teach me how to dance when I come home. Keep on dancing!”
Heralded in the press as “The Fighting Gael” and “The Flying Shamrock, Terror of the Nazis”, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George VI at Buckingham Palace. Churchill met him at his airbase, RAF Hornchurch in Essex, many times.
The Prime Minister saw that the Allies were in desperate need of heroes like Finucane to boost morale. Realising the publicity value he represented, Churchill understood it would be terrible news if he were to be killed in action.
At that point, Johnston says, the Prime Minister decided that he was more valuable as propaganda than as a pilot. “Brendan was told by Churchill and the hierarchy in the RAF that he was never to fly and had to stay put on the ground.
“But of course, he broke all the rules because he didn’t want to let his squadron and his country down.”
He was the epitome of Spitfire-pilot glamour, and reporters flocked to his airfield every day for quotes. They also camped outside his house in Twickenham.
The romance of the story was enhanced by the fact that he was “walking out” with literally the girl next door, Jean Woolford. Gerry compares them to “Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie or the Beckhams.”
However, the ever-modest flyer shied away from celebrity. “He was the pride of the RAF, and still is to this day,” says Gerry. “People looked upon him as a hero, but he was a very humble and unassuming guy. In his own mind, he was not a hero. “The RAF wanted to make him the poster boy by sending him to America to raise funds for the war, but he refused to go because he didn’t want any publicity. He was a shy, quiet man.”
On July 15, 1942, the RAF commander supposed to lead an attack on the German base at Etaples suddenly fell ill with flu, and Finucane had to hurriedly take his place. He was in such a rush, that he flew off at the head of a group of 36 planes without having time to play his “lucky” record – Tangerine – before take-off. Perhaps that was an omen…
A German machine-gunner on the French coast managed to hit his Spitfire. Suffering a damaged radiator, the plane plunged into the English Channel, and Finucane was lost at sea near Pointe du Touquet. As he crashed into the water, his final words to his squadron were: “This is it, chaps.”
He was just 21 years old. Two and a half thousand people subsequently attended a memorial mass for him at Westminster Cathedral. One journalist who was there reported that, during the service, a pigeon circled the crucifix and flew up into the dome.
Tributes to him poured in from as far afield as the Soviet Union and Australia. One of the most heartfelt came from Lady Whitmore who, with her husband, Sir Francis, had entertained him for dinner at their Essex home, Orsett Hall, just four days before his death.
On July 21, she wrote to Finucane’s mother Florence: “He dined here with us, and we were so charmed with his modesty and kindness of heart.
“How he loved all things beautiful! We walked around the garden after dinner, and when we came suddenly upon the rose garden, which was at its best, he paused and said with such feeling: ‘Well, isn’t this well worth fighting for?’”
EVEN though the eternally self-effacing Finucane would never describe himself as such, he was indisputably a hero. “Every time he came back from a mission, he used to pray for his colleagues and for the Germans who had been killed,” says Gerry. “That’s the kind of man he was. He was very sympathetic to other people.”
Fighting back the tears, the director continues: “I get very emotional about this. Brendan was a lovely man. He was just so compassionate. He really cared. He put his life on the line for others. If there is such a thing, he was a saint.”
Finucane is equally acclaimed in today’s RAF. Former RAF Historical Flight Spitfire pilot Flight Lieutenant Antony Parkinson says: “He was a good-looking guy, a natural fighter pilot and a leader. You have a guy who fought in the Battle of Britain and who, by the time he died, had 32 kills to his name. That was truly amazing. Without doubt, Paddy Finucane was an absolute hero.”
‘Brendan really cared. He put his life on the line for others. If there is such a thing, he was a saint’