Honoured at last - Telegraph For 67 years, the sacrifice and courage of the men of RAF Bomber Command was almost wilfully overlooked even though the risks they ran were greater than in any other Service during the Second World War. Out of 125,000 aircrew, more than 55,000 died - a fatality rate on a par with the infantry in the First World War trenches. Many others were wounded or captured. Their average age was just 22. Yesterday, with the dedication and unveiling by the Queen of a monument in central London, they finally received the recognition they deserved. For the dwindling band of survivors, and the families of those who died in action or are no longer alive, yesterday's memorial service was a moving and long-awaited tribute. As one veteran flier, who had travelled from New Zealand, put it: "Thank God there is something now to recognise the sacrifice that all those blokes made."