Les Munro, 94, addresses dignitaries during the handover of his World War II medals at Motat yesterday.
Les Munro, 94, addresses dignitaries during the handover of his World War II medals at Motat yesterday.
The Tauranga man who is the last surviving Dambusters pilot has spoken of an overwhelming sense of responsibility to preserve the memory of the Bomber Command who fought and died in World War II as he gifted his medals to an Auckland museum.
Standing tall in front of one of the last remaining examples of an Avro Lancaster Bomber, Squadron Leader Les Munro, 94, said it was "comforting" to know his gallantry medals would remain in New Zealand, and be on display near the type of war plane in which he flew all but one of his missions.
Big crowds turned out to listen to war veteran Les Munro.
The veteran yesterday gifted the medals, along with his flying logbook and other memorabilia, to the Museum of Transport and Technology (Motat), after they were saved from auction by British businessman and World War II history enthusiast Lord Ashcroft.
Mr Munro said he had felt compelled to put his treasured war memorabilia up for auction to raise money to help with the maintenance of the Bomber Command Memorial in London after visiting the site in 2013.
"Why should I worry about this?" he asked the gathered crowd, including 12 veterans of RAF Bomber Command.
The medals will be near the type of plane in which Les Munro flew all but one of his missions.
"And then I remembered the 617 Squadron lost 130 men on the 15-and-a-half months that I spent with them. That's an abnormal loss for an ordinary squadron, greatly in excess of what a normal squadron would lose.
"I then thought of the 1679 New Zealanders that travelled 12,000 miles to fight for King and country, for freedom and democracy, and gave their lives in pursuit of those objectives. I also thought of the $30,000-plus that our own Bomber Command Association donated to the erection of that memorial, and that our own veterans have an interest in the preservation of that memorial."
It was his "underlying concern" that the memorial would suffer through lack of investment in maintenance and that future generations, in particular Kiwi visitors to London, would not get the chance to see it in good condition. He described it as a "heavy burden of responsibility" on the RAF Benevolent Fund that was charged with the upkeep of the memorial and was hoping to raise a $2 million endowment fund. His medals and memorabilia were set to go under the hammer at London auction house Dix Noonan Webb before Lord Ashcroft stepped in and offered to donate 75,000 ($150,000) to the fund.
"I'm aware that there was much concern that my medals would leave New Zealand," Mr Munro said.
"However, that possibility has now been averted by the very generous actions of Lord Ashcroft."
The British philanthropist choked up as he presented the memorabilia to the war veteran, saying: "I'm sorry if I sound a little emotional. I'm a hard-hearted businessman but this is my passion." The comment came after Lord Ashcroft told how hearing of his father's experience in the D-Day landings at Normandy as a boy had sparked a lifelong interest in World War II, which had led him to become an avid Victoria Cross collector and the author of a number of books on the subject. "I'm very proud, because of that background and the connections I've had over the years, to have brought this project to fruition. It's a great pleasure, not only to have met Les, but to bring his medals back to New Zealand." Motat chief executive Michael Frawley said he was "deeply grateful" to Mr Munro for agreeing to gift his memorabilia to the collection. The museum intends to develop an exhibition highlighting the efforts of Kiwi Bomber Command members, in particular 617 Squadron.
The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister John Key, who described Mr Munro as a "true hero".
"It would have been easy for you to keep the medals in your family, and I think that would have been an obvious step ... But you made the incredible contribution of your medals, for the very point you made in your speech, to reflect on the sacrifice, particularly by those who never returned."
As the ceremony finished, members of the crowd could be heard saying "what a wonderful man" and "incredible".
Speaking after the ceremony, Mr Munro said he was "not really" sad the medals were leaving his family, as each of his six children had miniatures of the medals and copies of the logbook. He quipped that it "solves the problem" of who would have inherited them when he died.
