RAF historian pays tributes to late war hero Johnny Johnson and shares discontent with Newark and Sherwood District Council for not honouring hero with street name

An RAF historian has shared his tribute to war hero Johnny Johnson and his shame a street cannot be named after him for 20 years.

In 2021, the RAF historian Paul Trickett appealed to Newark and Sherwood District Council to honour the last of the Dambusters.

He wanted a street to be named after the war hero, who during his life lived in Collingham and taught at Highfields school in Newark after the war.

Johnny Johnson’s 100th birthday last year was believed by Paul to be the perfect time to bestow the honour.

The council did not approve a street to be named after the wartime hero at the time, citing national policy.

Paul said: “I had the pleasure of working with Johnny on several occasions in 2014-15 to promote his autobiography The Last British Dambuster and the biography on his American born pilot, who retired as Wing Commander 'Joe' McCarthy, DSO, DFC and Bar.

“Around ten years earlier I had stumbled online across an interview Johnny had given to a local newspaper whilst he was living in Torquay.

“The interviewer asked him what he had done after leaving the RAF and he replied — I was a teacher at Highfields School in Newark.

“That line stayed with me and years later I approached Cleo Stainforth at Highfields and together we organised an event to pay tribute to Johnny.

“It was his first time back at the school since he had left decades earlier.

“He was joined by former RAF pilot Eric Quinney, who helped bring the Dambusters story to life flying one of the Lancaster's used during the filming of the much-loved 1955 movie starring Richard Todd as Wing Commander Guy Gibson, VC, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar.

“Incidentally, Johnny also later returned to visit the Sorpe Dam which he had damaged during Operation Chastise and met the descendants of those who had lived there during world war two.

“During my time spent with 'Johnny' I found him to be a warm-hearted and very charitable family man — Johnny would often play the piece of music which reminded him most of his late wife before going to bed and take some time to remember the great love they had shared.

“He had not had the best start in life with a bullying and abusive father — whose funeral he later refused to go to — who ran him down and I think that gave him a steely resolve to always be a much better man in life.

“He spoke of his wartime role as 'just doing my job to the best of my professional ability to help defeat the Nazi's as soon as possible'.

“Whilst he didn't particular like Guy Gibson's personality or leadership style he spoke of his admiration of his commander's heroism, especially when Gibson had courageously drawn German anti-aircraft gunfire away another Lancaster during its bomb-run to help ensure the success of the operation.

“Johnny was a real asset to Newark and I think it was a shame that local councillors did not listen to the well-supported campaign organised by the Advertiser and myself to help mark his 100th birthday by paying tribute to him, especially after Captain Sir Tom Moore now has numerous places named in honour of him.

“Maybe that injustice can be altered now, if not with a street name then some other way should be found.”

Following the recent death of George 'Johnny' Johnson on December 7, Newark and Sherwood District Council was approached to review the naming of the street after the war hero.

Rhona Holloway, portfolio holder for economic development and visitors at the council, said: “Service personnel like Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, MBE, DFM are our heroes, and it is right that we try to honour them as much as we can do.

“I do not want the importance of that underestimated.

“We apply a consistent approach as to how streets are named to ensure fairness across all such requests we receive.

“To set our street naming policy, we undertook a review on guidance on what was being followed nationally.

“Historic England has a 20-year period post death before a street can be named and we wanted to follow this guidance.

“Historic England stated, ‘that the decision about whether or not to shortlist a candidate is made with a sufficient degree of hindsight’.

"We also reviewed nine other authorities with similar policies.

“In most authorities, cases where a person has died and an application has been made for a street to be named after them, there must be a length of 30 years before the street can be named.

“We therefore agreed on a 20-year period for our street naming and number policy which is generally on the lower scale in relation to other authorities we reviewed.”