J.D 'Johnny' Baker 1923-2003

Johnny Baker was born in Wales. In 1941 aged 18years old he joined the RA, flying daylight bombing raids in Bostons and Mitchells,targeting mainly Buzz bomb sites with the 2nd TAF.
After 30 ops he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant to Ministry of Supply Aircraft Experimental Unit at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, Test Piloting acceptance trials for new Aircraft including
Hurricanes, Spitfires, Liberators, Meteors, Vampires, Lancasters, Halifaxes, Mosquitoes,Flying
Fortresses Monitors and Abermaries.
He joined Avro in Manchester in 1948 and flew the main types until 1958 when he joined Avro Weapons Division in Australia mainly for the testing of the Blue Steel stand-off missile flying V Bombers.He was transferred to Adelaide Australia as AVRoe Australia Chief Test Pilot having by then piloted 99 different types of Aircraft He retired in 1968 and settled in Australia where he died in 2003.