STANDARD bearers from the Royal British Legion and RAF led the funeral procession for wartime pilot Jim Bowman.

Captain Bowman flew 59 missions with Bomber Command and was one of the few survivors of the campaign who were recently honoured with a publicly funded memorial in London.

His proud family has applied for a posthumous Bomber Command medal for the beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

Captain Bowman was mentioned twice in dispatches for his bravery.

Daughter Jan Childs said: “He was very discreet and always made light of his time in the RAF. He was a very private man.”

Jim won the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, receiving the honour from King George VI at Buckingham Palace.

He successfully ditched or crash landed three times. His missions including attacking the V1 and V2 sites and he finished the war as a Flight Lieutenant on Mosquito bombers with the elite pathfinder force.

In an interview with the Daily Echo last year, Jim said he believed the bombing campaign was a necessary part of the war effort.

He added: “Seeing all that happened in the concentration camps, it was definitely something that had to be done. I didn’t think about the civilians at the time.”

Around 44 per cent of the Bomber Command aircrew died – 55,573 men – and Jim lost many friends.

Jim passed away peacefully at his home on March 14, at the age of 90. His funeral service was held at Trinity Methodist Church in Southbourne on March 25.