Memorial service takes place for WW2 bomber hero Cliff Storr

Cliff Storr paid tribute to fallen comrades at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln last year

A memorial service has taken place for a man who was a Lancaster bomber navigator during World War Two.

Cliff Storr, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, once survived a crash-landing, and emerged unscathed from 25 bombing raids, then volunteered to do 25 more.

His daughter Karen White said he "never thought of himself as being anything special or out of the ordinary".

He died last month aged 100 years old. His memorial took place at Banbury's St Mary's Church.

Mr Storr had been one of the last surviving air crew from WW2 Bomber Command, and served as a Flt Lt on bombers based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

The memorial took place at Banbury's St Mary's Church

Ms White said: "He was just a proud Yorkshire lad who was doing his job to the best of his ability in order to serve the country that he loved.

"Had he been here today he would've been absolutely blown away by this, and he would have wanted it to be dedicated to all of his comrades who stood alongside him and fought during World War Two in Bomber Command."

She added: "50 times he flipped a coin, and 50 times it came down heads and he survived.

"He was forever grateful about that, and forever desperately sorry about the 50,000 others who didn't make it."

Mr Storr's daughter Karen White said he "never thought of himself as being anything special"

Air Commodore Dave Tate said: "If you read some of Clifford's notes, he talks about not knowing if his colleagues were going to be at breakfast the next morning - that one of those empty spaces might be him one day."

Mr Storr celebrated his centenary with family, friends and staff at the care home where he lived last summer.

Later in the year he fulfilled his wish to visit the International Bomber Command Centre to pay tribute to those who served with him.

Warrant Officer Chris Adams said he was "finally able to say goodbye to some of his very, very fond colleagues that he'd lost during some of his sorties".

"I honestly feel that Cliff found some inner peace in those final days of his life," he added.

Mr Storr emerged unscathed from 25 bombing raids, and then volunteered to do 25 more

Mr Storr previously told the BBC about when his aircraft was attacked by German fighters and critically damaged.

"You could see the trace of bullets whizzing through the length of the aircraft," he said.

"The pilots said: 'Look folks, if you can bail out, bail out.'"

Mr Storr accidentally opened his parachute inside the bomber, but the rest of the crew refused to bail out.

He recalled: "They all said 'No… if you're not going to jump, we're not going to jump.'"

The plane crashed but Mr Storr and five of his crew members survived.

He was part of the air crew of WW2 Bomber Command

"At his 100th birthday I did ask Cliff what was his secret to long life," WO Adams recalled.

"It was a simple response: 'Be lucky, and don't get shot down.'"

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