THE last surviving ‘Dam Buster’, Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson MBE DFM, joined pupils at Lord Wandsworth College’s annual remembrance service last Friday.

Mr Johnson was a former pupil at the Long Sutton school and served with the RAF from 1940 to 1967, including taking part in the famous Dambusters’ raid of 1943 when attached to No. 617 Squadron RAF.

For his part in the raid as a specialist bomb aimer responsible for dropping his ‘bouncing bomb’ on the Sorpe Dam in Germany, Johnny, as he is known, received the Distinguished Flying Medal in an investiture at Buckingham Palace.

Now aged 95, Johnny was invited back to Lord Wandsworth College (LWC) on November 10 to unveil the school’s new war memorial which was designed, developed and project managed by LWC pupils as part of their ‘Pupil Voice’ initiative.

Prompted by a discussion with the head of history, Tom Shedden, the children decided that they wanted to build a fitting tribute to those who had fallen.

Staff, guests and pupils from both LWC and Long Sutton Primary gathered together for a poignant service commemorating pupils who were lost in battle during the Second World War.

The service was led by LWC chaplain Pete Maidment, and was made all the more spectacular with a fly-by from a Chinook from RAF Odiham.

LWC headmaster Adam Williams said: “It was a privilege and an honour to have Johnny Johnson here today and we are very grateful to him and his family for joining us on what was an incredibly special occasion.”