Last surviving RAF Mosquito pilot relives his 50 missions over Nazi Germany

Flight Lieutenant Colin Bell DFC is a very unusual person.

Not only is he 105, but he looks 35 years younger. He walks easily and confidently, without a stick, and has a mind as sharp as a tack.

He uses smartphones and computers better than most and has just written a witty, insightful book about his experiences flying for the RAF during the Second World War.

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A successful landing

It's a pleasure to meet him. Colin certainly has a wealth of stories to tell about his war.

He started learning how to fly in America, before the US joined the Allies.

After getting his wings, he was made to stay in Florida and train US pilots – the Japanese having bombed Pearl Harbor and President Franklin D Roosevelt authorising American action.

He recalls vividly the first time he flew, with an instructor, in the de Havilland Mosquito – a plane that would be his companion, alongside navigator Doug Redmond, for 50 missions over occupied Europe.

"We did a circuit, and we landed," Colin explained. "He warned me, that it had a tendency to pull to the left on take-off, and therefore this was something you had to watch out for.

"I then took over, and I opened up the throttle and felt this great surge of power. So we went down the runway, banked off to the left, climbed up and did the circuit.

"I landed successfully, of course, I'm still here!"

It was Bloody Dangerous

That was it. No more practice flights. No chance to get used to the powerful plane.

The next flight was a mission.

You can see Colin describe what it felt like to fly combat missions and the routines needed for going on bombing runs, in the video above.

I've met many Second World War veterans over the years, but sadly those occasions get fewer.

The one thing I'll always remember about Flt Lt Bell is his extraordinary ability to take his experiences from a lifetime ago and relate them in a way that is both relevant and indeed challenging to the world of 2026.

Colin Bell's book, Bloody Dangerous, details his 50 raids over Nazi Germany, including 13 to Berlin.