Our genuinely esteemed Honorary Member, Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, MBE DFM, forever to be remembered as The Last Dambuster, died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday 7th December shortly after his 101st Birthday.

Hear his incredible story, here: bit.ly/3AFNPjV

Many members, past and present, will remember his stunning talk to the club, delivered as he did, without notes, on 3rd September 2014, held at St Mary Magdalene church because the structural repairs to our Performance Hall over the summer had not been completed.  As Johnny mounted the platform, William Agnew played the Dambusters' March, timing it perfectly to coincide with the showing of an excerpt from the film depicting the attack on the dams and a returning Lancaster. 185 tickets were sold, and proceeds were split between our fabric fund and 617 Squadron Benevolent Fund. It was an exceptional morning.

The Minutes show Johnny first visited our Performance Hall in the Red Lodge in Park Row (Bristol City Centre) on the evening of 5th March 2014 when our then Chairman, Michael Brooks' subject for the artists was aptly entitled  ‘The Winners’.   He was of course afforded the privilege of visiting the studio while the Red Feather Artists were painting.

To commemorate the visit, RF Pat Shipsides painted Johnny’s aircraft. ‘T’ for Tommy attacking the Sorpe Dam.  One of just 3 copies was presented to Johnny that night and the depiction is so accurate that his daughter Jenny said, ‘When he goes, that’s the piece of his many items of memorabilia that I want to keep’.  The painting was hung in his home at Westbury Fields and later in his room in the John Wills House. The original, signed by Johnny, hangs in the BRISTOL 1904 ARTS main Artist Studio - this is the painting you see above.

When Johnny was appointed an Honorary Member in 2015, William Agnew reprised his playing of the Dambusters March again which touched Johnny greatly. Regrettably, there is no official photograph of the occasion.

Johnny Johnson's proudest moment was his private audience with the late Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle - which lasted some 40 minutes compared to the usual allocation of 20 minutes and the Queen later in November 2017 personally presented him with his MBE.

A lovely, genuinely modest man and a true National Treasure has left us. 

RIP  Johnny Johnson.