550 Squadron Photos

P/O W J Bibby DFC and Crew

P/O Bibby and crew were posted to 550 Sqdn from RAF Wickenby w.e.f. 13/3/44:

Also flying on occasion with this crew were:

F/Lt McConnell DFC RNZAF, the Squadron Bombing Officer, (later missing in action) also flew one operation with this crew as stand-in Air Bomber:

F/Lt A D McConnell (A/B) (1 op)

The picture below shows P/O Bibby and crew.

P/O W J Bibby DFC and Crew
R-Roger Crew, 02 May 1944
Back Row, L-to-R: Sgt Kimbrey (A/G), Sgt Howell (A/G) (tentative identification,TBC), Sgt Jeffries (W/Op), Sgt McLoughlin (F/Eng)
Front Row, L-to-R: F/O Rennie (Nav), P/O Bibby (P), F/O Shedeck (A/B)
Picture courtesy of Mandy Martin (granddaughter of Sgt Kimbrey (A/G))

The thumbnail link will launch a medium resolution picture. But a higher resolution version of the photo is also available here. However be aware that at >16Mbytes this may take quite some time to download on a slow internet connection.

Pictured below individual members of the P/O Bibby crew.
Missing from this set of photos: Sgt Howell (MU/AG) - no known reason. But Howell was absent from 6 ops the crew flew between 20/04/44 - 30/04/44 (Sgt A R Blackburn standing in), possibly the photos were taken during this period. Or the photo is just lost.

	P/O W J Bibby DFC DFC gazetted 17/10/44 (found by searching The London Gazette using his service number 172472)
	Sgt F P McLoughlin
	F/O James Peter Rennie DFC DFC gazetted 17/11/44 (found by searching The London Gazette using his service number J.22940)
	F/O A N Shedeck
	F/O A N Shedeck
	Sgt A J Jeffries
	Sgt R J Kimbrey
	F/O Honey

Many thanks to Mark Simpson for making the photos available and the following supplementary information about individuals from sources outside the 550 Sqdn record:

F/O Honey and Sgt. Blackburn, both had been on 100 Sqn and were posted into 550 Sqn on 17/02/44 (info from 100 Sqdn ORB).

Honey had arrived (in 100 Sqdn) 09/10/43 as A/B on the Tunstall crew and had carried out 17 sorties.

Blackburn had arrived (in 100 Sqdn) 21/01/44 as A/G with the Balcombe crew. Tunstall and two of his crew, the Nav and R/AG, went missing with Balcombe and four of his crew on operations on 15-16/02/44. As a result Blackburn and Honey were posted to 550 Sqdn for re-crewing. Sgt. Essar, lost with the Picton crew (550 Sqdn) 10-11/04/44, was the other member of the Tunstall crew who arrived at 550 Sqdn, also on 17/02/44.