Plea to salute RAF war hero Walter, 97

PILOT WHO FACED LUFTWAFFE AT BATTLE OF ARNHEM AND TOOK TO SKIES AGAIN DAYS AFTER BEING SHOT DOWN, PASSES AWAY - BUT FEW ARE LEFT TO GO TO HIS FUNERAL

FORMER RAF bomber pilot Walter Bentley hid his heroic past.

Few knew of his courage in the heat of one of the most notorious battles of the Second World War because he didn’t like a ‘fuss.’

Walter, who has died aged 97, has no surviving family and only a handful of friends. Veterans are now hoping that Salford will come out in force to say farewell to one of its heroes at his funeral on December 10 at Agecroft Cemetery at 1pm. Owen Hammond, secretary of Salford Veterans Network, said: “He did not talk about his exploits. He didn’t want any fuss.”

Walter was brought up in Lower Broughton. He was 21 when he was called up for military service in 1942.

He was selected to be a pilot with the RAF and was posted to Number 570 Squadron, stationed in Berkshire. Walter’s first flight was on September 23, 1944, ferrying food and ammunition in a Short Stirling fourengine bomber to drop to beleaguered airborne Allied troops fighting in vain for Arnhem Bridge in Holland.

On the way to the dropping zone, Walter was shot down near the town of Nijmegen. Fighting with the controls and desperately trying to save the lives of his five crew members, Walter crashlanded in the nearest field with one wing on fire. All six on board walked from the wreck and found themselves safely behind Allied lines. Seven days later, Walter was back in England and airborne again at the controls of another Stirling bomber. He went on to complete many more combat missions over Germany and Holland. In 1955, he married his wife Gladys, who died in 2007. The couple did not have any children. Owen added: “He has left instructions that the funeral car must not drive slowly, because he hated getting stuck behind a funeral courtege. He was quite a character.”

He didn’t talk about his exploits. He didn’t want any fuss Owen Hammond, retired RAF officer and secretary of Salford Veterans Network

Walter’s Number 570 Squadron flew Stirling bombers

Walter, circled, with his crew and groundcrew; on his wedding day to Gladys; and at the RAF centenary celebration in Albert Square in September

Flying Officer Walter Bentley