At times the words would not come for the 87-year-old who served as a wireless operator and rear gunner in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command Squadron 576 during World War II.

"I flew over those great blue metal jagged mountains that he had to find his way through," Mr Mumford said.

"It would have been a terrible flight home."

Mr Mumford wasn't alone in feeling the emotion that a companied the unveiling in Dubbo yesterday of a memorial bust honouring the pilot.

More than 100 people braved the heat to remember the graduate of Dubbo High School, the first and one of only two members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to receive the Victoria Cross, albeit after his heroic death.

RAAF visitor Group Captain Peter Davis, the "last serving permanent airforce member" in Dubbo, admitted to strong feelings during his address to the crowd at the city's cenotaph.

"I've spoken about Middleton on a number of occasions, but every time I do the sheer magnitude of what he did gets to you," he said.

So too does a perceived lack of recognition in Australia of a young man who the RAF considers to have performed "one of the greatest feats of bravery there ever was, if not the greatest".

"This guy committed probably the ultimate act of bravery from a military aviation perspective, but he's not well known and that's a shame," Group Captain Davis said.

"Everybody knows who Ned Kelly was and he was a bushranger and a criminal. Rawdon Middleton was a true hero who laid down his own life so his mates could live."

In late November 1942 Pilot Officer Middleton found a permanent place in Britains's heart when he brought his Bomber Command crew back to England from Italy where they had come under enemy fire.

Most parachuted to safety before the 26-year-old former jackaroo deliberately crashed into the sea to prevent civilian casualties.

On the 50th anniversary of Pilot Officer Middleton's death, a plaque was installed in the ground near the Dubbo cenotaph with Group Captain Davis organising the commemoration. The unveiling of the $16,000 bronze bust by sculptor Brett Garling on the 70th anniversary yesterday, was a collaboration between Dubbo RSL Sub Branch and Dubbo City Council.

Mr Garling was another participant in the ceremony to feel the presence of a hero.

He recalled when the bust became recognisable and he experienced "one of those little heart-stopping moments".

"You think there's life in there," the sculptor said.

The bust on a tall plinth facing Darling Street captures the real essence of a World War II pilot with helmet, goggles and scarf, attests sub branch president Tom Gray, who unveiled it with the help of Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson.

Group Captain Davis, who from January will lead about 2500 personnel as Officer Commanding 395 Expeditionary Combat Support Wing at RAAF Base Amberley, thinks it can get some recognition runs on the board.

Mr Mumford, a 17-year-old when Pilot Officer Middleton made the ultimate sacrifice, agreed.

"This could be the start of something wonderful.

"Rawdon Middleton is a sort of a Don Bradman," he said.