Les Johnston

Petty Officer Lester Burton "Les" Johnston (circa 1923 - 18 October 1983) was the rear gunner in crew 103, piloted by Neill Currie.

From Muskoka, Ontario. Died 18 October 1983.

Its powerful engines made an unmistakable roar and you could tell it was a Lancaster bomber, even when enclosed by cloud cover, and by the vibration which literally shook the earth.

The dark and ominous silhouette of the legendary bomber was both loved and loathed; worshipped at home but feared for its crashing payload of explosives over enemy territory.

Its form is visibly cumbersome but its potential undeniably lethal.

The lancaster bomber has earned every bit of its heritage, the legacy of [the] horrendous battle against Nazism; the preservation of freedom and democracy.

The Lancaster symbolizes victory. V-E Day, May 1945-95!

And it was Les Johnston's task to utilize firepower from the Lancaster's glassed half-sphered turret situated at the tail end of the plane; a helluva target for the enemy fighter pilots looking to immobilize its four deadly Browning guns poking out from the clear dome.

It was kill or be killed.

Tough rules in war's game - or rather gamble - for survival.

Johnston, a brave Canadian volunteer to the Royal Canadian Air Force, knew the risks.

But there was more at stake than one life. The lives of fellow [crewmen] and well-being of the rest of the 434 Squadron. It was understood.

Johnston was part of that effort aboard the mighty Lancaster bomber. ...

Johnston's son, Michael, of Gravenhurst, shows [Ted Currie, the writer], a cherished dog-eared photograph of his father in flight attire, in front of the plane's rear turret.

Posed, the rear gunner rests his hands on the Brownings, portraying with a clear grin the confidence the young Muskoka man possessed of the plane, artillery and his crew-mates.

The reality that this same plane could have become his coffin isn't obvious, yet it's impossible to ignore both the youth and innocence of the rookie gunner - with so much life yet to live.

Michael takes another look at the photo before sorting through the deep file of his father's R.C.A.F. service records.

Les died on Oct. 18, 1983, and Michael admits he has some regrets not knowing more about his father's role in battle.

"He just wouldn't talk about it. It wasn't until after he died that we started finding out more about his role on the LAncaster."

There's a small box with service medals and ribbons in front of Michael and he holds it out for examination.

"We found these tucked away. I don't know what they're all for - some are service, others, I'm still not sure about. But you know," he said after slipping the lid back on the tiny box, "if my father was alive today, even with this V-E anniversary, he wouldn't talk about it. He just didn't bring it up, although he was a regular supporter of the legion."

And Michael doubts whether Les would have shared war recollections with fellow legionnaires and friends.

Michael agrees his father had witnessed massive carnage, a reason many veterans left stories of the past in the past - their past.

"We respected him for not wanting to talk about it," the Gravenhurst insurance broker admits. "I've got so many questions."

Accodgin to the assortment of documents gathered by Michael from inquiries to the National Military Archives, Les was engaged from 1942-45 by the R.C.A.F. and spent a year at the end of the war (1944) flying sorties from England with the 434th Squadron.

Michael is unsure how many sorties his father had been involved in but believed them to be numerous. He survived!

"He had real confidence in the pilot [Neill Currie] and crew,", he said. A lot of Lancaster crewmates of the 434th did not come back. Possibly it was this reality of war's drastic consequence - the fact some of his friends perished in combat - that contributed to the airman's lasting silence.

It was when fellow crewman and writer [Jim] Vipond, former sport editor of the Globe and Mail, attended the funeral for Les in 1983, that Michael admits his own interest was generated. Les was part of Lancaster history.

Les retired voluntarily from the RCAF at the end of the war and in 1946 assumed ownership of an insurance business from Stan Taylor, of Gravenhurst, who went on to a lengthy career in education as a teacher and principal at Gravenhurst Public School.

From 1946 Les was involved, one way or the other, with the insurance company his son now [as of 1995] operates on Muskoka Road south. [Michael operated it until sometime before 2018 when he retired].

Les is also survived [as of 1995] by his wife, Jean, daughter Donna and another son, Peter.

Michael admits an interest in finding out more about his father, but he remains thankful the ravages of history had spared his father's life and the crewmen of the 434th Squadron Lancaster - England 1994.

— Ted Currie (no known relation to Les' pilot Neill Currie), Moskoka Today, 5-16 May 1995