Les Munro. Photo/Supplied
Les Munro, the last surviving Dambusters pilot, has accepted Lord Ashcroft's offer
to donate £75,000 to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund in return for gifting his
decorations and medals to a museum in his native New Zealand, the international
auction house Dix Noonan Webb.
In addition to this, Dix Noonan Webb has
decided to waive all its fees and out of pocket
expenses on the understanding that the Museum of Transport and Technology in
Auckland, where the medals will go on display, makes a further donation of £10,000
to the RAF Benevolent Fund.
As a result, Mr Munro, who is 95, will have raised £85,000 for the Fund to be
used specifically for the upkeep of the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park,
London, which commemorates 55,573 aircrew, including 1,679 New Zealanders, who
were killed during the Second World War.
The publicity surrounding the auction of Mr Munro's decorations and medals in aid of the Fund, scheduled for tomorrow has also resulted in donations to the charity from the public.
Mr Munro's awards, logbooks and associated memorabilia will now not be auctioned
although the rest of the sale will go ahead as planned.
"I am content that I have achieved my goal of doing all I can to ensure that the men of
Bomber Command who lost their lives during the Second World War will be
remembered with pride for generations to come," Mr Munro said, one of only two
New Zealanders to have taken part in the historic Dambusters raid in 1943.
"I have been astonished and very touched by the huge interest that the sale of my medals to raise funds for the upkeep of the memorial has aroused."
"In the end, in consultation with my agents Dix Noonan Webb, I have decided that
there was a delicate balance to be achieved between raising funds for the RAF
Benevolent Fund and ensuring that my medals are preserved for future generations of
New Zealanders to appreciate. Lord Ashcroft's very generous proposal represents the
best way of attaining both these objectives. I am extremely grateful to him."
Christopher Hill, Director of Client Liaison at Dix Noonan Webb, the international
coins and medals specialists, said: "We are delighted to have helped Mr Munro
realise his aim of raising a substantial amount of money towards the upkeep of the
Bomber Command Memorial. We share his belief that the memory of more than
55,000 aircrew who gave thir lives should be preserved and we have been in close
consultation with him throughout this process."
Lord Ashcroft, a British peer who owns the world's largest collection of Victoria
Crosses, last week offered to donate £75,000 to the RAF Benevolent Fund if Mr
Munro withdrew his medals, logbooks and associated memorabilia, from the auction
and gifted them to the Museum of Transport and Technology.
As part of this proposed arrangement, the Museum would pay Dix Noonan Webb's
withdrawal fee and out of pocket expenses. This will no longer be necessary because
the auction house has waived all its fees and expenses on the understanding that the
Museum donates £10,000 to the Benevolent Fund on top of Lord Ashcroft's £75,000.
Mike Neville, Director of Fundraising at the Fund, said: "Lord Ashcroft's most
generous donation, in support of Les' desire to see his efforts of the Second World
War continue to bear fruit today and into the future, is simply terrific. We are very
pleased for Les and delighted that he has realised his aim of supporting the RAF
Benevolent Fund in their duty of maintaining the Bomber Command Memorial. Les'
sacrifice and Lord Ashcroft's donation will help assure the long term future of the
Memorial."
The RAF Benevolent Fund is the RAF's leading welfare charity, providing financial,
practical and emotional support to all members of the RAF family. It works on behalf
of serving and former members of the RAF, as well as their partners and dependants,
whenever needed. It helps members of the RAF family deal with a wide range of
issues: from childcare and relationship difficulties to injury and disability, and from
financial hardship and debt to illness and bereavement.
Dix Noonan Webb Ltd is one of the world's leading specialist auctioneers and
valuers of coins, tokens, medals, militaria and paper money of all types. Established
in 1990, the company boasts over 250 years' combined experience in this field and
stages regular auctions throughout the year.