No place at memorial unveiling for bomber hero, 91

Former rear gunner Freddie “Johnny” Johnson, 91, won six medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for gallantry on Wellington and Halifax bombers – during which time he was shot down twice, once behind enemy lines.

He helped to raise money for the £6.5m Bomber Command memorial in Green Park, London but is among veterans who have not been able to get a ticket for the ceremony on June 28, when the sculpture is expected to be unveiled by the Queen.

His daughter Mandy Stewart, 56, said: “We found out too late that you had to apply for tickets and now they won’t budge. How can they expect a 91-year-old war veteran to sort this out himself? He’s a member of the RAF Association so it couldn’t have been that hard to trace him and invite him to the ceremony.

“We feel that precedence should be given to those who were actually there.”

Mr Johnson, from Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, said: “I would have loved to have gone. I was very pleased when I heard it was being built.”

A spokeswoman for the memorial organisers said: “We have a licence limiting us to 6,500 guests which we cannot exceed, and have prioritised two groups – people who lost relatives such as husbands and fathers, and veterans who flew in the planes.

“Other events will be staged at the memorial later in the year and we would hope that people who cannot get a ticket this time will be able to attend one of those functions.”