• Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:

January 14th, 1912 (Colne/Lancashire, United Kingdom)

Date of death:

September 15th, 1943 (North Sea)

Mentioned on:

Air Forces Memorial Runnymede

Service number:

49575

Nationality:

British

John Fort, the eldest member of AJ-J's crew, was born on 14 January 1912 in Colne, Lancashire, one of six sons of George and Martha Fort. After attending Colne Secondary School, he joined the RAF in 1929 as an apprentice at RAF Halton, excelling as a fitter and later serving aboard the HMS Glorious. Returning to ground duties, he remained with the RAF until the outbreak of war when he volunteered for aircrew training and became a bomb aimer.

Commissioned as a Pilot Officer, Fort joined No.10 OTU at RAF St Eval in September 1942. Fort moved to RAF Swinderby in January 1943. After a crewman's death, the crew transferred to 97 Squadron under David Maltby before joining 617 Squadron on 25 March 1943.

Highly skilled, Fort was A Flight Bombing Leader and utilized Wg Cdr Dann’s triangular bomb sight. His precision contributed to the second breach of the Möhne Dam during the Dams Raid.

On 15 September 1943, Fort was killed in a crash alongside his crew. Squadron adjutant Harry Humphries, a close friend, memorialized him in a pen portrait preserved in Grantham Museum archives.

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• Photo 1: Findagrave
• - CWGC
  - Dambusters
  - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36030/supplement/2362/data.pdf

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