RAF Benevolent Fund pays tribute to Bomber Command veteran George Dunn

All at the RAF Benevolent Fund pay tribute to the service and life of Flight Lieutenant George Dunn DFC LdH, who sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 103 at his home in Saltdean, East Sussex.

George joined the RAF in June 1941 and went on to serve as a pilot with Bomber Command. His lifelong commitment to service and to supporting others within the RAF Family was reflected in the many hours he generously dedicated to fundraising for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

George was a valued presence at airshows across the country, where he signed books in exchange for donations to the Fund alongside fellow members of his Sussex Bomber Command Air Crew group, and assisted with the sale of tickets for the Fund’s Red10 Aston Martin raffle.

At 97 years old, George took to the skies once more in a Spitfire, 72 years after his last flight in one, one of many ways in which he helped to raise awareness of the Fund.

As a truly proud supporter of the Fund, George featured in fundraising appeals, appeared on special edition prints, and took part in a recording of the poem High Flight. He requested that donations be made to the Fund in celebration of his 100th birthday and went on to arrange further collections beyond this milestone.

Through his tireless efforts, George helped to raise in the region of £100,000 for the Fund. In recognition of his exceptional contribution, he was awarded Special Recognition at the RAF Benevolent Fund Awards in 2017 as part of the Bomber Command Air Crew Veterans Group, and again as a solo recipient in 2020.

In further recognition of George’s support, in February 2026, the judging panel for the RAF Benevolent Fund Awards was delighted to select George as the winner of this year’s Heart of the Fund Award. The Fund was honoured to visit George and his family over the weekend to present him with his trophy and to personally thank him for the incredible difference he has made to the Fund and the wider RAF Family. His unwavering commitment embodied the very spirit of the award.

Born on 21 September 1922 in Whitstable, Kent, George Dunn was 17 years old when the Second World War was declared. George joined the local Defence Volunteers which became the Home Guard and when he reached the age of 18, he volunteered for air crew.

George initially trained as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner before training as a pilot in Canada. He completed 44 operations throughout the Second World War.

Posted to 76 Squadron at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in York, George flew his first tour from May to October 1943 on Handley Page Halifax bombers, during one of the most intense periods of bombing of the war.

George and his crew flew 30 operational attacks including the infamous Peenemunde raid. During this tour, George was commissioned and awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross at just 20 years old.

On completion of his tour, and after a period as an instructor pilot, he then took up duties flying de Havilland Mosquitos, firstly with 608 Squadron and then as a meteorologist pilot with No. 1409 Flight, where he learnt to fly in poor weather conditions.

Following this, in 1947, George was posted to Egypt to test-fly refurbished single-engine fighters and transported a Spitfire to the Greek Air Force. Just over 70 years later, he sat in the aircraft again at the Heritage Hangar at Biggin Hill in Kent where the plane was being rebuilt. 

Before joining the RAF, George had worked for Pickfords Removals company, which he returned to after his service, until his retirement aged 60. 

At the age of 98, George co-wrote a book titled ‘Resolute – To war with Bomber Command’ in conjunction with his wartime flight engineer Ferris Newton DFM, and historian and author Steve Darlow.

George was one of the first line of recipients to receive a 100th birthday message from His Majesty King Charles III in September 2022. A Spitfire flypast was held across the Sussex coast to mark the occasion.  

Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot, Chief Executive of the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of George Dunn. George meant a great deal to everyone at the RAF Benevolent Fund and to the wider RAF Family. While he will always be remembered for his remarkable service during the Second World War, he was equally cherished for the generosity, warmth and unwavering commitment he showed to the Fund over so many years. He truly embodied the values and ethos of the RAF Benevolent Fund, and we feel incredibly privileged to have known him and to have benefitted from his support."

From all at the Fund, our deepest condolences are extended to George’s friends and family at this sad time.