Squadron Leader John Llewellyn Griffith DFC of 180 Squadron was born the 9th of February 1918, the son of Frederick Samuel Griffith (1870 to 1948) and Sybil Virtue Preston (1881 to 1972), of Porthcawl, Glamorgan.

The 1939 Register finds John as a student in the ground floor flat, 92 Victoria Road, Porthcawl. His father is not recorded, however his mother, born 1881 is noted as “unpaid domestic duties”, and that she is an invalid. His sisters Ann, a jewellers shop assistant and Gwendoline, unpaid domestic duties are present.

John Griffith joined the Royal Air Force and was, at some time, posted to 1437 Flight at Wadi Natrun, north west of Cairo to fly strategic reconnaissance sorties with the Martin Baltimore ; the Flight being part of 285 Reconnaissance Wing of the Western Desert Air Force. It would seem that on one occasion a Spitfire attacked his aircraft and was shot down.

Whilst an Acting Flight Lieutenant flying with 1437 Flight he was gazetted with the DFC for rescuing the crew of a Wellington that had crash landed behind enemy lines in the desert. One newspaper recording his award was The Evening Despatch for the 7th October 1942, which reported that “…acting F/Lt Griffith has in the course of reconnaissances in Libya picked up 17 members of wellington crews who had force landed (in the desert) …” The report implies that he performed a number of rescues.

On the evening of the 8/9th of July 1942, Wellington Z8520 coded letter “N” of “B” Flight 104 Squadron had taken off at 21.45 from Kabrit, piloted by Sgt Maxwell, on an operational sortie. Three hours and fifty minutes later the port engine failed and the starboard engine lost power. The pilot had no option but to belly land in the desert behind enemy lines about thirty miles south of Sidi-Barrani. The crew survived the crash landing and, it seems, waited for rescue. This came on the evening of the 11th when John Griffith landed his aircraft to pick them up. One of the Wellington crew died later having drunk his own urine to quench his thirst.

Following promotion to Squadron Leader, John Llewellyn Griffith was posted to 180 Squadron. The squadron operated prior to and after the D-Day landings from Dunsfold, Surrey with the North American B-25 Mitchell.

On the 24th of July 1944, Mitchell FW190 set out to attack a wood at La Hogue, France, during the course of which the aircraft was hit by flak, severely damaging it and severing the hydraulic system and making over forty holes in the aircraft. Wing Commander De Boult managed to return to make a forced landing at Tangmere.

Wing Commander De Boult DFC, F/Lt A G Burgess, Sgt J O’Brian and Sgt A Munn survived but Sqn Leader Griffith died of wounds. The aircraft was repaired to service and survived the war to be Struck Off Charge (SOC), on the 7th of February 1947.

When his parents died in South Africa, their ashes were interred in the same grave as John. Frederick, born the 11th of September 1879, died on the 24th of June 1968 and Sybil, born December the 30th 1880, died on the 2nd of July 1965.