A 95-year-old survivor of the Dambusters raid who decided to sell his medals to fund the upkeep of a memorial in London has been met with efforts to keep them in New Zealand.

Les Munro opted to auction his World War Two medals and log books to raise money for the Bomber Command memorial in the English capital, but in doing so prompted the creation of a Give A Little page to keep them here.

Les Munro has opted to sell his medals, with the proceeds going towards the upkeep of a memorial in London. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

The sole survivor of Operation Chastise, which was carried out on German dams by the RAF in May 1943, intends to donate all proceeds raised from his memorabilia to the endowment fund paying for the memorial's upkeep.

But since the Tauranga resident announced his intentions, petitions, political interest and at least one online funding site has emerged.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage got involved this week after speaking to Les about his plans.

The ministry's Manager of Heritage Operations, David Butts, says they are seeking expert advice on whether or not medals awarded to Les recognising his efforts while flying for bomber command are covered by the Protected Objects Act 1975.

'Protected New Zealand objects are a valuable and significant part of our culture and heritage and it's our role to ensure this is considered before they go overseas,” he says.

'We have talked to Mr Munro about the steps we are taking and will be keeping him fully informed.”

The medals are currently in England awaiting auction on March 25.

Les, however, holds a different view, saying: 'They don't understand what I'm doing. I am not selling my medals and logbooks for private gain. I'm not going to take a penny out of the process.

'I'm donating my medals and log book to the RAF Benevolent Fund endowment fund, so the income is available for the maintenance of the BC memorial. That's my primary objective.

'I will be disappointed if there is any action taken to prevent the sale of the memorabilia at the auction.”

Auction house Dix Noonan Webb indicates the medals could fetch up to £50,000, ($NZ102,000), but Les is hoping for about £70,000 ($NZ142,000).

The Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London, honours the 55,537 members of RAF Bomber Command that were killed in action. It was unveiled in June 2012, 67 years after the war.

The £6 million memorial was paid for by private sponsors and donations, with no government input whatsoever. It is a nine foot tall bronze depicting a standard seven man bomber crew in their flight kit.

Of the RAF bomber crewmen that died, 1,679 were New Zealanders in bomber command, with Les flying some 58 missions.

The memorial is cleaned daily and maintenance is funded by donations, including an Upkeep Club of which Dame Judi Dench is patron.

Les' medals include the New Zealand Honours, Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and the Queen's Service Order.

His war service honours include the Distinguished Service Order and Distinguished Flying Cross, while the DSO was awarded in March 1943 and the DFC in June 1943.