A SECOND world war veteran who took part in night-time raids all over Europe as an RAF air-gunner has died.

Great-grandfather James Albert Ormerod, passed away at Royal Blackburn Hospital, aged 87, and is survived by his widow Gladys, children Geoff and Phil, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Born and bred in Blackburn, he answered the call of King and Country by volunteering for the Royal Air Force in 1943 aged just 19 and he underwent more than two years training to become a gunner.

He became operational in the last year of the war as part of the 106 Squadron RAF Metheringham and took off on one of his first missions on April, 16, 1945, during a night-time strike over a railway yard in Pilsen, Czech Republic.

His son, Geoff, said: “He told us that when the bombs went off the sky lit up which was quite frightening as the enemy would be able to see them.

“They spent a lot of the time very cold because all they had were their flight jackets and were terrified because once they began the raid the darkness was no longer a cover and they had to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible.

“They were attacked many times.

"My dad never forgot how lucky he was to have survived because he lost many of his friends.”

Within the space of eight days in April 1945, Sergeant Ormerod and his squadron flew out on four missions including one in Tonsberg in Norway, where they joined 70 Lancaster Bombers on a fuel depot raid for German U-boats.

Geoff added: “There were loads of explosions and the fire could be seen for 80 miles after they left their target.

"It must have been absolutely terrifying. He saw many planes go down and there was always this feeling of guilt that he had survived.”

After the war, Sgt Ormerod conducted flights to Germany to pick up prisoners of war and bring them back to Britain and was then deployed to Sardinia and Egypt before returning to the UK in 1946.

He went on an mechanics apprenticeship before working for the electricity board and even as a fireman on a steam train.

Most recently, the keen golfer, who was a member of the Darwen Golf Club, worked as a showroom manager for the Norweb Electricity Company before retiring in 1988.

His son, Phil said: “He was a real kind family man who was very selfless and always put his wife and family first.

“He was a real gentleman and who very rarely had a drink and loved his grandchildren.

"We all had a very happy childhood and we could not have asked for more.”

A funeral service will be held at St James Church, Winterton Road, Darwen, followed by a burial at Darwen Eastern Cemetery on January 13.