Veteran who bombed Hitler's Eagles Nest dies at 94
A veteran of Bomber Command from Shrewsbury who took part in a raid on Hitler's lair has died at the age of 94.
Julian Humphreys, known as "Humph," flew many hazardous wartime missions in Lancaster bombers and later made the RAF his peacetime career.
His funeral at Shrewsbury crematorium was attended by an RAF contingent bearing an RAF standard.
After many years of service in the RAF, during which he took part in the Berlin airlift in 1948 and 1949, he worked for Roll-Royce in Shrewsbury.
He is survived by son Graham, and daughters Sheila Fox and Susan Hassell.
Born in Southampton in 1923, Mr Humphreys served in the wartime RAF as a wireless operator. After training he joined 207 Squadron flying Lancaster bombers from RAF Spilsby in Lincolnshire.
He flew his first operational mission in October 1944, and was to fly on 27 operational missions, the end of the war meaning he finished just short of the 30 which comprised a tour of operations.
His last mission of all was a raid in April 1945 on Hitler's "Eagles Nest" retreat in the Alps.
Reaching the rank of Warrant Officer in 1945, during his flying career he amassed 3,936 flying hours.
Post-war Mr Humphreys decided to forge a career in the service, and was in the RAF until 1968. He took part in the Berlin airlift, and then went on to Technical Training Command, and Coastal Command, followed by Air Traffic Control, and finally on flight simulators.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s he was based at RAF Shawbury.
In 1950 he met wife-to-be Dena at Blackpool, marrying in 1952 and living in Bath, then Belfast, and finally Shrewsbury. Their children all live in Shrewsbury.
He and late wife Dena had always taken an interest in dancing and had met and made many friends through it.
In June 1996 he was given a special treat at RAF Shawbury when he climbed inside the only surviving airworthy Lancaster bomber at that time, from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which was on its way to the air show at Cosford, and sat at his old wireless operator's position.
Mr Humphreys had not been inside a Lancaster since the war.
Later Shrewsbury aviation historian Michael Davies offered to arrange a visit to his old airfield at RAF Spilsby and a taxiing trip at nearby East Kirkby, an old bomber airfield which is now an aviation heritage centre where a non-flying Lancaster with working engines gives people taxiing runs.
Mr Humphreys politely declined, saying: "Many thanks about the taxi runs at East Kirkby, but I think I've done enough taxiing and flying Lancs to last a lifetime!"
