Lawrence Goodman

Flight Lieutenant Lawrence ‘Benny’ Goodman was a Lancaster pilot of No. 617 Squadron — the Dam Busters — and one of the last surviving members of the squadron. Joining in 1944, after the dams raid, he flew precision attacks with the squadron’s heavy ‘Tallboy’ bombs against U-boat pens, viaducts and the German pocket battleship Lützow. He survived the war and lived to the age of 101, becoming a familiar figure at commemorations of Bomber Command. His service was recognised in later years with the award of the Légion d’honneur by France.