Understatement!

He did go on to say that if he did receive an honour he would ask that it be dedicated to the 53,000 airmen who lost their lives especially the 57 men in his squadron who did not return from the raids.

Nelliemoser - yes I do think of those men who suffered shell shock - my father was one of them.

I like a bit of understated humour.All those pilots were brave, fully knowing that each mission could well be the last.....and so young!

It was an appalling dangerous mission but there were many servicemen doing similarly dangerous work.
These were mainly very young men. I am sure there was fear but young testosterone fuelled men do tend to have more derring do than the older and wiser and more experienced.

Think of those men suffering shell shock being stressed with horrors way beyond anything we could imagine.

A very special breed of men, the men who flew bombers during the war. Over 57,000 were posted as killed or missing during the war. With the odds they faced of surviving each sortie, it is amazing that the crews found the strength of purpose to keep climbing back into the Lancs and Halifaxes time after time. Thank God they did. His reply was typical - Service humour has always been heavy on understatement!

Yes, makes you realise what a farce the so-called "honours" system is. What a wonderful man, why does there need to be a campaign, an honour for him should have been granted before now.

British grit!