College welcomes back a dam fine former pupil (From This is Hampshire)

College welcomes back a dam fine former pupil

10:15am Sunday 6th July 2008 in

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A WARTIME hero who was part of the famous Dambusters raid during the Second World War has returned to his former school in north Hampshire.

Squadron Leader George "Jonny" Johnson, once a pupil at Lord Wandsworth College, in The Street, Long Sutton, was a bomb-aimer in the RAF mission to destroy dams in Nazi Germany, in 1943.

The war veteran guided an RAF Lancaster bomber pilot to approach the Sorpe Dam nine times, before it could unload its now famous cargo - the bouncing bomb. The explosive damaged its target, although the dam was not breached to flood the industrially-important Ruhr Valley.

The 86-year-old, who was hand-picked for the role, received the Distinguished Flying Medal for his part in the daring raid.

Of the 19 aircraft participating, eight were shot down with the loss of 53 lives.

As one of only two remaining members of the Dambusters raid, Sqn Ldr Johnson appeared in a recent documentary about the mission.

A television crew from Five followed Sqn Ldr Johnson as he visited dams in Germany and war cemeteries in France for the programme Last of the Dambusters.

The wartime hero made a visit to his old school with his son Morgan.

Sqn Ldr Johnson grew up on a farm in Nottinghamshire, but came to the school in 1933 after his mother died, thanks to the Lord Wandsworth Foundation, a charity that still supports orphaned children.

The veteran said: "I had been used to sleeping in my shirt at night.

"The Lord Wandsworth Foundation introduced me to underwear and pyjamas - they gave me clothes and shoes as well as a wonderful education."

Amazingly, the school did not know about Sqn Ldr Johnson's role in the war until two years ago.

In April this year, Morgan Johnson contacted the school to arrange his father's first visit since he left in 1940.

Jill Kelly, administration secretary of the Sternians Association, the Lord Wandsworth College old boys' organisation, said: "It was very moving, and George is a wonderful chap.

"He was full of stories and has a great sense of humour. We are very fond of him and it was a great honour to show him around.

"He's now returned once, so we hope he will be able to come back again."