A war hero who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and walked away from three crashes, has died just weeks before his 103rd birthday.
bombers with 150 Squadron based at RAF Snaith in Yorkshire, taking part in bombing raids on many heavily-defended German cities.
The odds were against surviving even one tour, but he went on to do a second tour, this time in the wooden Mosquitos of 692 Squadron, based at RAF Graveley near Cambridge, which were part of the elite Pathfinder Force.His exploits were recounted in a 2011 autobiography 'J For Johnnie' which was a collaboration with Telford author Ken Ballantyne.
A member of Shropshire Aero Club, Mr Trotman continued to fly into his late 90s – and was thought at the time he was the second oldest pilot still to be flying in the UK - until Parkinsons's disease meant he had to hand over his flying licence. However, Flight Lieutenant Trotman, who had clocked up over 2,000 flying hours in his career, didn't let his medical issues ground him as he was in the air as late as last year albeit as a second pilot.Flt Lt Trotman later raised money for a charity suppoting sufferers of Parkinson's and earlier this year, aged 102, he took part in the D Day celebrations in Portsmouth, attended by His Highness the King and PM Rishi Sunak.
- To mark the 99th Birthday of ex-RAF Pilot John Trotman, Shropshire Aero club have organised a flight from Sleap Airfield to RAF Shawbury..She said: “He had these wonderful twinkly blue eyes, and everybody that met John, even only briefly would say what a a true gentleman he was.”A private family cremation has already been held, but Mrs Trotman said a memorial service is set to take place at RAF Shawbury on October 10 at 2.30pm and all are welcome.
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