Petition to give last surviving British Dambuster, 92, a knighthood
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•'Johnny' Johnson, 92, was a Flight Sergeant and bomb aimer during raid
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•He survived the mission and 49 other sorties with 617 and 97 squadrons
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•Mr Johnson and his colleagues have never received any official honours
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•Mr Johnson campaigns for those in Bomber Campaign to be recognised by the Government
Published: 19:18, 12 August 2014 | Updated: 20:04, 12 August 2014
A campaign has been launched to award a knighthood to the last British survivor of the legendary Dambusters raid.
George 'Johnny' Johnson, 92, was a Flight Sergeant and bomb aimer during the 1943 raid on the dams in Hitler's heartland.
He survived the mission and 49 other war-time raids with 617 and 97 squadrons but he and his colleagues have never been officially honoured.
Flt Sgt George 'Johnnie' Johnson the last British Dambuster with the Canadian Lancaster at RAF Coningsby
Widower Mr Johnson, of Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol has campaigned for those who took part in Bomber Campaign to be officially recognised by the Government.
His cause has now been taken up by Stephen Hadley who has started a petition to have him knighted.
The campaign, launched through Change.org, a site where people can launch petitions to publicise their pet projects, has already had support from across the country and from as far afield as Los Angeles.
The Brylcreem Boys:(left to right) Jonny Johnson, Donald McClean, Navigator, Dave Batson, Front gunner, Joe McCarthy, Skipper, Bill Radcliffe, Flight Engineer and Len Eaton Wireless Operator
Squadron 617 'Dambusters' bomb crew with one of their Lancaster bombers
The crew relax before their next sortie. Bomb aimer Johnny Johnson is second on left
The Daily Mail's special 4am reports of the Ruhr flooding in the Dambusters raids
OPERATION CHASTISE AKA THE DAMBUSTERS RAIDS
Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by the RAF’s 617 Squadron, subsequently publicised as the "Dam Busters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis.
The Möhne and Edersee Dams were breached, causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley and of villages in the Eder valley; the Sorpe dam sustained only minor damage. Two hydroelectric power stations were destroyed and several more were damaged. Factories and mines were also either damaged or destroyed. An estimated 1,600 people drowned.
Despite the raid’s fame, it did not do too much damage and quick repairs by the Germans, meant the dams were back in action four months later.
Mr Hadley, 55, from Kent, who read about Mr Johnson in the news, said: 'It is shocking when you hear that David Cameron's hairdresser gets an award but someone like Mr Johnson has never had any formal recognition.
'When you look at what he achieved during the war it is simply incredible but what is even more incredible is the fact that he has never had any official recognition of any kind.
'This is not just about Mr Johnson it is also about recognising everyone who took part in the raid, their bravery was incredible.'
When asked recently about being a hero, Mr Johnson modestly said: 'For me, that word doesn't mean a thing.
Comrades in arms: Flt Sgt Johnny Johnson (left) and Wing Cmdr Guy Gibson (right)
'I had a job to do and I did it to the best of my ability, as all of us did. I'm just lucky, firstly, that I got back from the raid and secondly that I am still living.'
Mr Johnson was part of Flight Lieutenant Joe McCarthy's crew in the Dambusters raid.
After lining up the attack on the Sorpe dam ten times they dropped their 'bouncing bomb' from 30ft and damaged it.
The raid claimed the lives of 53 airmen. The handful of survivors still alive include Les Munro from New Zealand and Frederick Sutherland from Canada.
Mr Johnson married sweetheart Gwyn in 1943, just two months before the raid and they had three children. She died on August 19, 2005.
Johnny Johnson at RAF Coningsby next to an Avro Lancaster Bomber
The story of the Dambusters raids was told in the film starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave (right)
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