John Cruickshank, the last surviving Victoria Cross holder of the Second World War, had a special connection with Pembroke Dock and its flying boat station.

Mr Cruickshank, who has died aged 105, trained as a pilot and his first operational posting was to No 210 Squadron, flying American-built Catalinas from Pembroke Dock in 1943.

The squadron re-located to Sullom Voe in the Shetland Isles and the Victoria Cross - the highest award for gallantry - was awarded for a successful attack on a German U-boat in July 1944. Cruickshank was severely wounded but remained in command to oversee the aircraft and crew return to base.

In the 1980s and 1990s Mr Cruickshank attended reunions of flying boat veterans at Pembroke Dock. During the fifth Pembroke Dock Reunion, in 1995, he unveiled the replica RAF Pembroke Dock Memorial Window which, after many years on view at the town library, is now displayed at the Heritage Centre in the Royal Dockyard.

John Evans, co-ordinator of the reunion series and now Patron of the Heritage Centre, said: “I was privileged to have met John Cruickshank on several occasions and he retained many memories of his first posting to Pembroke Dock and of 210 Squadron. We were honoured when he unveiled our replica memorial window in August 1995, culminating the series of very successful reunions which brought back so many former flying boat personnel to ‘PD’.

“John Cruickshank’s story is one that we feature in the Heritage Centre.”