RAF 550 Squadron
"Per ignem vincimus - Through fire we conquer"
Bomber Command Memorial
At last - and not before time
13/05/2010
A permanent monument to the heroes of RAF Bomber Command is to be built in central London. Westminster Council has given permission for the open style pavilion at the Piccadilly entrance to Green Park. See Bomber Command Memorial.
Architect Liam O'Connor has been chosen to design the memorial to the 55,573 Bomber Command aircrew killed during the Second World War.
RAF 550 Squadron Formation
No. 550 Squadron was formed at Waltham, near Grimsby, in November 1943, as a Lancaster heavy-bomber squadron in No. 1 Group and began operations that same month. Early in the New Year it moved to North Killingholme - also near Grimsby - and from there continued to play its part in the bomber offensive until late April 1945, when it switched to dropping food to the starving Dutch people. Source: http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/h550.html.
The following documents provide some brief historial information surrounding 550 Squadron and the times in which it operated. Some of these documents have been available previously (on the original web-site and/or in association newsletters) but are presented here for ease of access (available as documents in PDF format):
| URL | Description |
|---|---|
| RAF 550 Squadron History | A potted history (one page) of RAF 550 Squadron |
| Background to Operations | A more extended history of RAF 550 Squadron with a general background to Bomber Command operations |
| 550 Squadron Avro Lancaster Bombers | A list of all of the RAF 550 Squadron Avro Lancaster Bombers |
| Operations Record | A month-by-month list of RAF 550 Squadron operations |
RAF 550 Squadron and North Killingholme Association
No. 550 Squadron flew from North Killingholme Airbase, Lincolnshire, from January 1944 to October 1945. The RAF 550 Squadron and North Killingholme Association was formed to help the members of the squadron, and their families and friends to keep in touch and to establish a permanent link between the squadron and the town in which it was based. This site is a resource to those researching the squadron history. Information about the association is available from the links below:
RAF 550 Squadron Association Blog Web-site
Details about the sister site to this one are shown in the table below. This site provides 'blog' type facilities for those wishing to contact others in the search for information about RAF 550 Squadron in addition to photographs of recent reunions and memorial services.
| URL | Description |
|---|---|
| http://550squadron.wordpress.com | Revised RAF 550 Squadron and North Killingholme Association web-site with 'blogs' and recent photographs of reunions, etc available via flickr (link below) |
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/550squadron | RAF 550 Squadron and North Killingholme Association photo collection |
Original 550 Squadron Association Web-site
The original RAF 550 Squadron and North Killingholme Association site information is shown in the table below.
| URL | Description |
|---|---|
| http://www.550squadron.theraf.co.uk/ (now DEFUNCT) |
Original RAF 550 Squadron Association site.
In fact this link is now dead, but many of the resources originally available on that site have been made available on this site (see below). |
| original 550squadron.theraf.co.uk site (archived) |
This link is to an archived copy of the original RAF 550 Squadron Association site (above). This makes available, at least in part, the resources originally available on that site, such as detailed information on raids, crews, losses, etc.
Currently the extensive photograph collection is not available; hopefully that will be rectified soon.
Update 24/01/2010: Most of these original photos are still AWOL. However a number of photos of recent reunions, etc, have been acquired and there are links to these in the panel to the right-hand side. |
The Phantom of the Ruhr, EE139
BBMF Lancaster PA474, RAF Coningsby, April 2007
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight celebrated 50 years in 2007, and underwent a complete refit to fly again in the livery of RAF 550 Squadron Lancaster EE139 the "Phantom of the Ruhr", a ton-up Lancaster that flew her first 30 ops on No. 100 Squadron based at Waltham before completing a further 91 ops on No. 550 Squadron at North Killingholme. She sports the letters HR-W of 100 Squadron on her port side and BQ-B of 550 Squadron on her starboard, effectively commemorating the crews of both Squadrons.
| URL | Description |
|---|---|
| The Phantom of the Ruhr | Video footage of the unveiling |
| A day to remember | Personal impressions of the day at RAF Coningsby |
| BBMF Lancaster refit | BBC link for details about the refit |
| Battle of Britain Memorial Flight celebrates 50 years | Details about the day on this MoD site |
 |
Aeroplane (July 2007 edition)
This edition of Aeroplane magazine contains a six-page article on the events at RAF Coningsby. This includes a potted history of the plane as it served in both 100 Squadron and 550 Squadron, and many photographs from the day including a nice photo of four of the 550 Squadron Association members in front of The Phantom. See: http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com/ (look for back issues). |
21/10/2009
 |
Great British Bombers (August 2009 edition, £4.99)
Magazine with three articles on the Lancaster heavy bomber. Excellent article on pg 26 which includes a detailed annotated cutaway diagram of a Mk I. The big article is on The Phantom of the Ruhr, including pictures of the unveiling in April 2007. A good picture of 550 Association members standing below the nose-cone painting. Also a picture of the J C Hutcheson crew at the time of BQ-B 100th sortie. Reference is also made to her final flight to Aschaffenburg on 21/22 Nov 1944 after which S/L Willie Caldow had her grounded due to a "twisted fuselage". Finally a third article on "tail-end charlie" the Lanc rear gunner. |
The Phantom Minus One, EE138
AR-E2, E for “Easy”
What is the story for Lancaster EE138, the plane off the production line just before EE139? What became of her and the men who flew her?
Lancaster EE138, coded AR-E2, E for “Easy”, was flown by a crew from RAAF 460 Squadron and was shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter over Stadil, Denmark. A website maintained by family and friends is dedicated to the crew: see EE138.
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster: flying again
05/05/2010
Early in May the BBMF Lancaster PA474 was grounded with technical problems. See BBMF News for details and a request for help in finding a replacement or new fuel cock. This impacted the display schedule with serveral fly-pasts cancelled at very short notice.
14/05/2010
Following a successful fit of a new fuel cock valve, Lancaster PA474 was ready to air test on Wednesday 12 May. See BBMF News for details.
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Petition
15/07/2010
A petition to 10 Downing Street was opened early in 2010 in an effort to prevent the BBMF being axed in future defence cuts. See BBMF petition for details.
The Government response to the petition has now been issued.
RAF Bomber Command Memorial Fund
| URL | Description |
|---|---|
 |
The Bomber Command Association, with the help of the Heritage Foundation, is raising funds to erect a permanent memorial in Central London to the 55,000 bomber aircrew killed in WW2.
Click the image (left) to find out more about the Royal Air Force's bomber aircrews, airmen and airwomen and their contribution to victory in the Second World War (WW2) 1939-45. Or go directly to http://www.rafbombercommand.com/memorialfund/ to make a donation. See this report from BBC Radio 4: 12 February 2010 Bomber Command: Still Fighting |
Books
There are literally hundreds of books written about RAF Bomber Command and the Lancaster: below are just a sample that make reference to, or have other connections with, 550 Squadron.
| URL | Description |
|---|---|
 |
Ton-up Lancs: A Photographic Record of the Thirty-five RAF Lancasters That Each Completed One Hundred Sorties Norman L.R. Franks, 2005, ISBM 978-1904943099, Publisher: Grub Street (Jul 2005)
As the title makes clear, the stories of Lancasters that carried out more than 100 missions. Featured in the book are three 550 Squadron Lancasters: ED905, BQ-F, Fox: Retired from operational flying. EE139, BQ-B, The Phanton of the Ruhr: Retired from operational flying The Phantom now lives again as the BBMF Lancaster (see above). PA995, BQ-V, The Vulture Strikes: Failed to return from its 101st sortie. Click on the image for more details. |
 |
Lancaster: The Second World War's Greatest Bomber Leo McKinstry: ISBN: 978-0719523533, Publisher: John Murray (Sep 2009)
A history of an iconic plane. A newly published book (3 Sept 2009) and receiving excellent reviews. Click on the image for more details. |
 |
Lancaster Target Jack Currie: ISBN: 978-0907579281, Publisher: Goodall Publications
Described as one of the best three books about life in Bomber Command during World War II, Lancaster Target is the story of one crew's fight to survive a full tour of operations in the night skies of wartime Europe. Flying Lancaster bombers from RAF Wickenby (626 Squadron) in Lincolnshire between 1943 and 1944 the Aussie navigator with Jack Currie later flew a tour with 550 Squadron. Click on the image for more details. |
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Avro Lancaster 1,111 & X Pilots Notes Air Ministry: ISBN: 978-0907579281, Publisher: Air Data Publications (Facsimile of 1944 ed edition (July 1972))
Facsimile reproductions of the original RAF publication, the Pilots Notes form a unique record of some of the world's most famous military aircraft. Each approximately 60 pages, paper cover, with header card featuring euro hook cut-out for display. Click on the image for more details. |
RAF Squadrons and Bomber Command information on the Web
There is a large amount of information about RAF Bomber Command available on the Web. If you are searching for information about RAF 550 Squadron operations, flights, losses, crews, etc, then the RAF 550 Squadron and North Killingholme Association links above might be able to help you in your search, as may some of the sources listed here.
Remembering our Service Personnel
The men and women of our Armed Forces, past and present, deserve our remembrance and appreciation.
| URL | Description |
|---|---|
 |
Armed Forces Day 2010 has just past: 26th June.
The national event this year was in Cardiff with hundreds of local events all over the place. Already the preparations for next year are underway; Edinburgh will host the Armed Forces Day flagship national event in 2011. But hundreds of events up and down the land are expected. Why not be a part of it? |
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Help for Heroes - A charity for the wounded in Britain's current conflicts.
It’s all about the men and women of the Armed Forces. Practical, direct support for our wounded. Click the icon to see how you can help. |
Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust
ABCT has launched a petition to help save Britain’s airfields from the threat of closure or demolition.
Click the link to find out more: http://www.abct.org.uk/index.php.
Information Requests
Option currently unavailable.
Association Contacts
550 Squadron Association contact names/numbers are available here.
Association email address collection
In the January 2008 association newsletter a request went out for the email addresses of members of the association to assist with the future distribution of the Assocation Newsletter.
Option currently unavailable.
Archives
Archive copies of 550 Squadron Association Newsletter are available. A number of back issues (in PDF format) can be found here.
A small squadron museum occupies a couple of rooms of the North Killingholme Village Hall. This contains an archive of material such as squadron history, photographs, memorabilia, etc. Contact Mike Leeman for details.
Web-site information
Web-site information, including the technical details associated with setting up this web-site, contact information and reference sites hosted on the same server(s) is available from the site details link.
