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Latest Guest Announcement - GEORGE JOHNNY JOHNSON


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It wouldn't be an Autographica without some old friends and here is one of them.

George Johnny Johnson took part in the famous dams raid in may 1943. He was a bomb aimer and dropped his bouncing bomb on the Sorpe dam.

George Johnny Johnson will be:

Attending Saturday and Sunday


Autograph Price: £15
Photoshoot Price: £10
He will also be taking part in the Autographica Dinner as well.

Last time Johnny attended our dinner he received the longest standing ovation in Autographica history. Don't miss out on the chance to meet one of our most popular guests.

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Edited by mojoe
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Fantastic!!!

 

Is he now the last dambuster who took part in the raid? I heard there's a couple of others still alive but they had to turn back before they could get to the dams?

 

Thanks showmasters

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I might be wrong but I think 'Jimmy' James was either one of the last, if not the last, surviving person to actually escape from the camp but he passed away a couple of years back. He attended an Autographica a few years back and was a fascinating man to meet. His book Moonless Night is well worth a read. I believe there are still others still alive who were held in Stalag Luft 3 who may not actually have escaped but did help with activities to help with the escape.

 

Linking it back to this announcement, it brings home that this generation won't be around forever so its great we still get the chance to meet these people.

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There are definitely people still alive who were in the camp, not that long ago one was being interviewed on the radio. I'm not sure if any escapees are still with us but there were plans for many more to escape and many others were involved in the operation but didn't escape.

 

I remember "Jimmy" James, was that at the event in Coventry ?

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I think he did a couple, the one I saw him at was Heathrow in 2007 which was the first Autographica I had been to for a few years but I'm fairly sure he did some before.

 

Just for the sake of clarity when I said I thought he was the last surviving escaper, I meant it in the context of the last 'Great Escaper' I don't know how many attempted escapes from the camp after that one.

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According to the Telegraph in March of this year, the following are still alive:

 

Alex Cassie - Document forger

Ken Rees - Was in the tunnel, and went back

Sydney Dowse - Escaped (edit : died 2008?)

Dick Churchill - Escaped

Paul Royle - Escaped?

 

There must be others who played a part in the escape in some way.

 

Escaping from Coldtiz is another:

 

Francis Flynn (edit: died Feb 2014)

Tommy Catlow

Corran Purdown

Edited by farmer
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