Les Munro
| Les Munro | |
|---|---|
Flight Lieutenant Les Munro (left foreground) speaking to King George VI (centre) and Wing Commander Guy Gibson (right) on 27 May 1943
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| Birth name | John Leslie Munro |
| Born |
5 April 1919 Gisborne, New Zealand |
| Died | 4 August 2015 (aged 96) Tauranga, New Zealand |
| Allegiance |
 New Zealand
|
| Service/branch | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Distinguished Service Order Companion of The Queen's Service Order Distinguished Flying Cross Legion of Honour |
Squadron Leader John Leslie Munro, CNZM, DSO, QSO, DFC, JP (5 April 1919 – 4 August 2015) was a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot during World War II and the last surviving pilot of the Dambusters Raid of May 1943.
Born on 5 April 1919 at Gisborne on New Zealand's East Coast, Munro lived there on the family farm until he enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force on 5 July 1941. He was originally turned down because of unsatisfactory scholastic ability, but studied by correspondence and was finally accepted.
Munro learned to fly in Tiger Moths at the RNZAF's Flying Training School at Bell Block near New Plymouth, and on graduation chose to fly bombers so was posted to Canada for initial bomber training. He trained on twin-engine aircraft in Saskatchewan at RCAF Station Saskatoon, the present-day John G. Diefenbaker International Airport in Canada. He moved to England in October 1941 for further training, and joined 97 Squadron at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire. There, he flew Avro Manchesters and then Avro Lancasters in 1942/43 and while there his DFC was gazetted, on 11 June 1943.
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