Dambuster Les Munro dies aged 96

THE sole surviving pilot of the World War II Dambusters raid is being remembered as modest, generous and a "very nice fellow".
LES Munro, 96, died of heart problems in Tauranga Hospital on Monday night, the New Zealand Bomber Command Association's president Ron Mayhill said.
Mr Munro, who was the association's patron, had been unwell for the past two weeks. "I met him from time-to-time at reunions and always respected him - not just because he was famous, but because he was a very nice fellow," Mr Mayhill told AAP. "He was modest. Never talked about the war unless you asked questions. He was always helpful. Just very pleasant to be with." The squadron leader flew a Lancaster bomber in the famous 1943 raid against German dams, but was forced to turn back after flak damaged his aircraft. Mr Munro, CNZM, DSO, QSO, DFC, JP retired from flying on February 5, 1946, a veteran of 58 missions. He was described in Paul Brickhill's The Dam Busters as a "slow-speaking, taciturn New Zealander, so earnest and dour that he was known as 'Happy'." He served as mayor of the Waitomo District from 1978 to 1995 and has a street, Les Munro Place, named after him near Te Kuiti. Earlier this year, Mr Munro planned to auction his medals and donate the proceeds to fund the upkeep of the Bomber Command memorial in London. Ultimately, the medals and memorabilia were bought by British peer Lord Michael Ashcroft and donated to Auckland's Museum of Transport and Technology in a special ceremony in April. "It was a very generous gesture," Mr Mayhill said. The museum on Friday said it was "extremely sad to hear of the death of a "true gentleman and hero". The medals are now housed close to a Lancaster bomber - the same as the one Mr Munro once flew. "I'm comforted by the thought that my medals will be within proximity of the plane and I appreciate it very much indeed because they will have some relationship," Mr Munro told the 100-strong crowd of war veterans, Defence Force members and politicians at the ceremony. Mr Munro was part of the RAF's 617 Squadron who became known as the Dambusters after unleashing drum-shaped bombs which bounced over water and exploded at the base of dam walls - causing catastrophic flooding and damage in Germany's industrial Ruhr Valley. About 1600 Germans died in the raid, while 56 of the 133 Royal Air Force crew did not return home. Prime Minister John Key tweeted his condolences on Friday afternoon. "Really sad to hear of Les Munro's death, New Zealand has lost a remarkable man who led a remarkable life," he said. Mr Munro's funeral is expected to be held on Saturday.