As we edge ever further into the 21st century, it is inevitable that our tangible connections to the Second World War slip away from us with the passing of the last remaining veterans of that conflict. They are now mostly centenarians, and we are fast approaching a time when that living connection will be gone forever. On a depressingly regular basis we see obituaries of veterans of the war, with one of the more notable recent losses being that of George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, the last living ‘Dambuster’, the poignancy of his passing undoubtedly heightened by the imminent approach of the 80th anniversary of 617 Squadron’s dams raid. That anniversary will also see the release of Attack on Sorpe Dam, a spectacular documentary featuring the story of Johnson and his crew in what is arguably their largely overlooked raid on the Sorpe Dam. The film is scheduled for its premiere in Johnson’s adopted hometown of Bristol.
During the later years of his life, Johnson penned his autobiography , a remarkable
