For heroic efforts to rescue crewmen after ditching his bomber in the North Sea, Jimmy Flint received both the George Medal and DFM. Graham Pitchfork tells his story
James ‘Jimmy’ Flint was born in Nottingham and joined the RAF in August 1938 to train as a pilot. Posted to 49 Squadron at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, in February 1941, he flew his first operations as second pilot and navigator. When he became the captain of his own aircraft, Bomber Command was concentrating on striking the German Navy’s U-Boat ports and the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brest. Minelaying also remained a priority and, in April, Berlin was attacked.