Commander Johnny Rawlins MBE 

Commander Johnny Rawlins became the Navy’s youngest jet pilot and one of its most experienced aviators in both fixed‑ and rotary‑wing aircraft. Born in Salisbury on June 12, 1932, the son of a bricklayer, he won a scholarship to Bishop Wordsworth’s School. As a teenager he watched damaged bombers limp home from Germany and gliders heading for Normandy, scenes that shaped his ambition to fly. 

At 17 he joined Boscombe Down as a scientific assistant, then volunteered for the Fleet Air Arm’s short‑service commission scheme. He flew solo after only eight hours in a Percival Prentice and earned his wings in May 1952. Of the 13 pilots on his course, Rawlins was the only one to survive training and the Korean War. On May 13, 1965, while serving in the commando carrier Albion, he rescued two wounded Royal Marines from the Radfan Mountains during unrest in Aden, earning the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct. A month later he was deployed to Borneo, supporting Commonwealth forces during Konfrontasi. Flying from remote jungle sites, his Wessex helicopters moved troops, guns, and supplies to outmanoeuvre Indonesian incursions. After 15 months and the fall of Sukarno, the conflict ended, and Rawlins was appointed MBE for his service in East and West Malaysia.