Charlotte Henley-Castleden, one of our top reporters from last year, interviewed Last British Dambuster, George Johnson.  Here is a extract from this interview.

The first thing you feel when you meet Johnny is an overwhelming sense of pride. To be stood next to one of the men who took part in history’s most daring and important raid is an incredible opportunity that I shall never forget.

For a man who some may see as a celebrity, Johnny is so down to earth and humbling, and really allows you to understand what happened on that fateful night when the dambusters became infamous.

I spoke to Johnny about the MBE he received in September 2017, and he told me how fantastic it was to have the public’s support for such an honourable title. He spoke about how the morning after the raid, the men who had returned from the missions questioned whether it was actually them that had achieved this feat. Now, 75 years after Operation Chastise took place, the story of these incredible men lives on through people like Johnny.

However, we must never forget how on that victorious night, there was also “a tremendous loss for one squadron for one night’s operation”, explaining that he was “devastated” at the loss of his friends and colleagues, and also explains how “the idea of not returning never entered your head”, because he was so distracted by the mission. He also spoke about how he remembered the bars in the base being open that night, but he knew that the drinking wasn’t for the success of the raid, but for the memories of those they had lost. He talks about how he is proud to be the last British Dambuster, but also sadness at the losses he has faced throughout his life after the raids.

I asked him about how he felt on that night as he saw the Mohne dam had been breached, where he told me it was “the highlight of the whole operation”, and the water flooding out of the dam looked “just like an inland sea”. He also explained how the entire mission “was great fun”, and told me how they would fly around numerous times doing dummy runs until it was just perfect. The number of runs they took, however, made Johnny realise that he “had become the least popular man in the crew”. A highlight of our interview was certainly his sense of humour, and his in-depth explanations of what happened on the night, and how his life has unfolded since then.

Once asked about how important he felt the raid was for war, he told me that “it was vital for the defence of this country”. He explained how Hitler was determined to ruin England, and how he wanted to be a part of stopping him. One of my final questions to Johnny was ‘Do you see yourself as a war hero?’, to which I received a simple answer of “No.” After all these years, he believes that it is “always about the squadron”, and says how he is “lucky to still be alive”. He tells me that he is “just an ordinary person”, but I feel he is a rather extraordinary man who deserves all the praise he gets and more.

The Last British Dambuster. A one of a kind title, for a one of a kind man.