Dear Angela,
Since I too had an Uncle John, my mother's brother, who enlisted in the RAF and lost his life at the age of 22, I empathise with your story. On the day of his death I was exactly 6 months old - the first of the new generation, and therefore the only one to have 'known' him. I too am the only member of the family to have had the opportunity to visit his grave - one of 24 war graves in a quiet corner of the cemetery at Clermont Ferrand, at rest in his father's homeland.
Best wishes, John.