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the history of Leyton and Leytonstone
from . dot to … dots – with plenty of spaces
The Second World War (continued)
War heroes continued
Doug Webb came to be the front gunner in one of 617 squadron’s Avro Lancaster bombers on the famous ‘Dambusters’ raid. He was born and grew up in Leytonstone. The son of a shipping clerk he was born on 12 September 1922 at what is now 3 Jersey Road, Leytonstone (left), and joined the RAF in 1940 from the family home at 158 Richmond Road, Leytonstone (right).
Before the Dambusters raid Webb Webb had flown on 25 operations with 49 squadron, and he continued on missions after it. Somehow he survived the high mortality rate on bombing raids. He was a guest of honour at the Leicester Square premier of the 1955 'Dam Busters' film. After the war Webb became a freelance photographer with his own studio. A young Pamela Green became his model in many nude photographs1. The two married and spent their retirement years on the Isle of Wight where Doug Webb died on 8 December 1996.