105-Year-Old WWII pilot honoured by King at Buckingham Palace
Colin Bell flew Mosquito bombers on fifty missions over Germany and is the last surviving pilot from the Norfolk-based unit
Last updated 11th Mar 2026
The King has welcomed a 105-year-old Second World War veteran to Buckingham Palace and presented him with the citation to his 1945 Distinguished Flying Cross.
Flight Lieutenant Colin Bell is the last surviving bomber pilot to have flown the de Havilland Mosquito aircraft during the conflict.
He gave the monarch a copy of his memoir Bloody Dangerous, which recounts his experiences and what it was like to fly a Mosquito, know as the “wooden wonder” for being mostly constructed of wood, during 50 raids over Germany including 13 to Berlin.
The book tells the story of how he faced being chased by night-fighting Messerschmitt 262 jet fighters and suffered engine failures, fuel starvation, near-fatal ice, numerous hits to his plane and an explosion which was so close it left shrapnel in his parachute and burn marks on his navigator’s flying suit.
During Wednesday’s audience in the Palace, the pair shook hands and chatted.
The King presented Flt Lt Bell, who served with the RAF’s 608 Squadron in the Light Night Striking Force, with the citation to his Distinguished Flying Cross, which was originally awarded to him for his actions by Charles’s grandfather King George VI in 1945.
The Distinguished Flying Cross is given for “acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty while flying in active operations against the enemy” to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other services.