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At 17 and a half John joined the RAF, taking advantage of a scheme to sign up for an RAF number before he was legally old enough to train. This ensured that when he joined the armed forces aged 18, he was drafted to the RAF rather than the Army or Navy.Training began in earnest with eight weeks intensive academic work at St Andrews University in Scotland, followed by a perilous voyage to Canada at the height of the U-Boat wars, in order to fly the wide open skies.

John learnt to pilot a craft in single engine Tiger-Moths, before graduating to multi engine Ansons. Proving himself a highly skilled pilot, he was retained as an instructor in Canada for a further year, before returning home to join Bomber Command as a Lancaster pilot.

He recounted that he chose to pilot multi rather than single engine planes, as he didn’t trust the engines enough to rely on only one.

John and his crew of six men flew an incredible 27 of 30 allotted missions across Europe before their Lancaster bomber was damaged by enemy fire.

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With one engine lost, the other failing and no working hydraulics, they were forced to crash land on their return to Lincolnshire.

The plane was completely destroyed, two crew members were killed and another three seriously injured. After a month in hospital, John was ‘let off’ from his last three missions (big of them, he thought, considering he had neither a plane nor crew to fly with), and sent to work for Transport Command until the end of the war, flying Dakotas to move paratroopers and supplies wherever they were needed.

Ever humble, John joked that he only joined the RAF to escape the Blitz. In more reflective moments he spoke of how the experiences of war profoundly changed him - he vowed to never waste a moment and live life to the full.

John kept his promise and became an inspiration to all who knew him.

John Moore died in the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, on March 28, 2020, after being diagnosed with Covid-19.

He leaves behind two children, two step-children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren

If government restrictions allow, the village of Aberthin are hoping to hold a memorial event in John’s honour, on what would have been his 97th birthday on June 14, 2020.

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