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Life of Leeds Spitfire pilot
A Second World War Spitfire pilot who knocked out four enemy aircraft and survived being shot down several times is being mourned by family and friends in Leeds. Bruce Smith looks at the life and times of Squadron Leader Walter 'Johnny' Johnston
Squadron Leader Walter 'Johnny' Johnston, who died in Cornwall aged 88, led a charmed life, logged 1,600 flying hours and met five Arabian kings.
Newcastle-born Walter worked in the accountancy section of the Northern Electricity Generating Board before joining the RAF Volunteer Reserve.
At the outbreak of war he transferred to the regular RAF and trained on Hawker Hart biplanes and Miles Magisters.
He had not even seen a Spitfire until he underwent his conversion training in Scotland.
With only 12 hours on Spitfires, Flying Officer Johnston went into action for the first time in February 1941 with 152 Squadron at RAF Warmwell, Dorset.
Later he transferred to 92 Squadron at Biggin Hill in Kent and while there downed four German Messerschmitt 109 fighters. He was shot down three times – once with romantic consequences.
He was hit by a Junkers 88 bomber near the Eddystone Lighthouse and force-landed at an airfield. He was taken to Plymouth Hospital and met a nurse called Peggy, later to be his wife.
After the 1944 Normandy landings he and two pilots were hit by an German anti-aircraft battery and crash-landed just two miles from the front line.
Despite his wrecked aircraft, 'Johnny' – now Flt Lt Johnston – got out relatively unhurt.
Noticing a Douglas Dakota aircraft on the field he wandered over – to find it had brought Air Chief Marshall Trafford Leigh-Mallory, commander-in-chief of the Allied Expeditionary Air Forces, to meet Field Marshal Montgomery.
Despite a tongue-wagging from another officer, he and the other two Spitfire pilots managed to get a lift in the Dakota back to England.
That November he was promoted Squadron Leader while Gunnery Officer at RAF Manston.
After the German surrender in May 1945 Sqdn Ldr Johnston was at first expecting to be shipped out to the Far East to fight the continuing war against Japan.
But with the Japanese surrender that summer he was sent to Egypt to command a pilot conversion training unit at RAF Bilbeis where he flew British and US aircraft, including Liberators, Marauders and Mustangs.
He was charged with setting up a meeting with Arabian monarchs, ostensibly to settle problems in Palestine, but he maintained was really designed to get the British out of Egypt.
This led to meetings with King Farouk of Egypt and the kings of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq, and the Shah of Iran.
During his career he completed two frontline operational 'tours' of duty totalling 140 patrols and 35 sweeps over France, including 310 hours in Spitfires.
He flew 20 different aircraft types and was also an instructor working on top-secret aircraft gunsight development with Battle of Britain ace Sailor Mallan.
He also trained the famous Free French Pilot Pierre Closters.
After his demob in 1947, Sqdn Ldr Johnston returned to the electricity board, married his sweetheart and eventually moved with his work to Cookridge, Leeds.
The couple had two sets of twins. Son Martin is now 60 – his twin, Susan, died shortly after birth.
The couple's other daughter, Helen, 56, also lives in Leeds, but her twin brother Christopher died some years ago.
Sqdn Ldr Johnston's first wife died in 1969. He remarried in 1977 and moved to Cornwall with his second wife Muriel after retirement in 1980.
He became a keen caravanner and bird watcher.
Muriel died two years ago.
Helen said that despite the harrowing experience of losing flying colleagues and the tragic duties of writing to their bereaved families, her father had many fond memories of his war service.
"So many close squadron relationships and bonds were forged, everyone relying on each other," she said.
His son Martin said his father had a remarkable memory and could recall which pilots went missing, where and when.
He contributed to four books on the subject.
His funeral was to be at Lawnswood Crematorium, Leeds, at 3.40pm Wednesday.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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