550 Squadron Photos
General Note
A collection of photographs, some recently acquired and some not. This is just a selection of some of the photos available: hopefully more will appear shortly.
If you have photographs either from operational times or more recent events such as reunions then please send them in.
Perhaps even more important, if you have names and/or information about photos that are already online but are without annotation then please send that in too.
Click on the pictures to view (they will launch in another window).
NB: some of the pictures are quite large (especially the first couple of group pictures at ca. 3MBytes) - so if you have a slow connection they may take quite a long time to download!
Squadron Group Photo - 1944
| Photo | Comment |
|---|---|
 |
550 Squadron, group photo 1944. Photo unattributed. |
Squadron Group Photo - May 1945
| Photo | Comment |
|---|---|
 |
550 Squadron, North Killingholme, May 1945.
Superb quality picture of the entire squadron, excellent detail (but as noted above a large file to download!).  24/11/2010
Also available a copy of the photo scanned at 600dpi giving an 21013x4703 pixel image. This is however a massive 13.1Mbyte. Please email if you would like a copy.
Photos courtesy of Tony Fleming |
 |
'C' Flight, 550 Squadron. Photo courtesy of Tony Fleming |
550 Airmen and Aircraft
Wing Commander Bryan "Dingle" Bell
17/11/2010
 |
Wing Commander Bryan "Dingle" Bell
PoW (FTR 22 Feb 45) PoW picture from German archive: taken when Wing Commander Bell was captured after going on the run following the crash. To find out how Wing Commander Bell's family acquired this picture and learn more about him click here Picture courtesy of Gordon Bell |
P/O P J Dukelow and Crew
LL851 was shot down by a Messerschmitt over Belgium on 21/21 May 1944 on the operations to Duisburg. LL851 was one of three 550 Sqdn Lancasters lost on this operation. The aircraft crashed into a field owned by Albert Van Hoornick at Heimolen (Oost-Vlaanderen) between the Wever and Heimolenstraat some 3 km south of Sint.Niklass, where all were buried in the town's communal cemetery.
 |
St Niklaas Cemetery 1944
To find out more about LL851 and this crew lost over Belgium click here |
F/S G W Hinde and Crew
DV309 was shot down on the outskirts of Westerlo, Belgium, one of three 550 Sqdn Lancasters lost on the Duisburg operation on 21/22 May 1944.
 |
F/S G W Hinde
To find out more about DV309 and this crew lost over Belgium click here See also the Westerlo Commemorations pages. |
F/O J C Adams and Crew
29/10/2010
 |
Crew photo (minus the Flt Eng)
Left-to-right: Renton, Elcoate, Winstanley, Sterman(?), Papple(?), Adams For further information and photos click here. Picture courtesy of Brian Goodwin |
F/O Cameron DFC and Crew
26/02/2011
F/O Cameron and his crew did a full operational tour, many of the flights in LM273.
 |
Doorway: F/L Avery (Navigation Leader), F/L Bill Peek (Bombing Leader)
Back Row: Sgt. Dave Eldridge, Sgt. Frank Popple, F/L Jock Shaw, F/O Peggy Burnside (intel.), FO Les Cameron, Sgt. Joe While Sgt Glen Sutherland, PO Joe Rigby, Sgt. F. Piertney and A/L B.J Redmond Front Row: LM273 ground crew technical team (names unknown) Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron To see more photos of this crew and the list of the operations they completed click here |
F/O Grundy and Crew
LM273 was one of two 550 Sqdn Lancasters lost on the Pforzheim operation on 23/24 February 1945. The crew on this flight was not the Cameron crew in the photograph above but the F/O Grundy crew:
 |
Left-to-right:
F/O Grundy, F/Sgt Sowter, Sgt McLauchlan Sgt E.W.King, Sgt Figg, Sgt Mackenzie, Sgt Jarvis Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron For further information click here |
F/L Lord DFC and Crew
26/02/2011
 |
F/L Jim Lord and crew. F/L Lord and his crew did a full operational tour
Left To Right: Ken Down, Jim Lord, Guss Vass, Jock Elliott, Pat Scully, Bob Sebaski, Jack Shomberg Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron To see more photos of this crew and the list of the operations they completed click here |
F/Lt Fleming and Crew
| Photo | Comment |
|---|---|
 |
F/L E.G. Fleming and crew, May 1945.
To find out more about F/L Fleming and crew click here 08/02/2011
(additional photos)
Photo courtesy of Tony Fleming |
F/Lt Jim Cassidy DFC*
| Photo | Comment |
|---|---|
 |
F/L Cassidy with S/L Caldow and crew, March 1945.
To find out more about F/L Cassidy and the operations he took part in click here - 06/12/2010
(550 Sqdn battle order documents for 16 March 1945, citation for bar to DFC)
19/12/2010
(medals, details on taking part in the Dresden Raid)
16/01/2011
(Service History - National Archive of Australia)
|
F/Lt Donald McLaughlin & Crew
 |
F/Lt Donald McLaughlin & Crew after completing tour of 35 ops at North Killingholme
Back row. l-r Nav. F/O. J Barkley, Pilot. F/Lt D.Macloughlan, B/A. J. Parkinson. Front row. l-r W.O. R Lazzell, W/Op. D. LLoyd, M.Up. D.Drake, F/Eng. D. Kettell. Picture courtesy of Don Drake Don comments: We all attended the dedication of the commemorative stone in 1982 but sadly I am the only one now left. |
P/O Screen & Crew
 |
Picture courtesy of Mark Simpson |
P/O Beale & Crew
 |
Note: Jim Beale has reported that F/O Green is incorrectly named in the photo and that
that it should be F/O Geen who flew in PB514/BQ-Y (Yokel).
Picture courtesy of Mark Simpson |
F/Lt Browne & Crew
29/01/2012
 |
For further information and photos click here Picture courtesy of Mark Simpson |
F/Lt. Johnston & Crew
 |
Picture courtesy of Mark Simpson |
P/O Geoff Mearns DFC and Crew
10/07/2011
 |
For further information and photos click here Picture courtesy of Mark Simpson |
Sgt Fred Norris flew with the P/O Crew: for his story see below.
 |
For photos of Fred Norris, Geoff Mearns, Sgts Alan Slater, John Chamboly, Joe McKeen, Bill Kelly and Danny O'Neil and to read Fred's notes and memories of operations click here Picture courtesy of Sheri Cooper |
P/O Rogers & Crew
All of these photos are annotated on the reverse as being members of P/O Rogers' crew, and all except that of F/O Evans are in civilian clothing as 'Pimpernel' or escape photos.
F/O Evans may be Henry Thomas Alfred Evans 156688, whose DFC was gazetted in the supplement to the London Gazette dated 15/8/44.
All pictures courtesy of Mark Simpson
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Sgt Albert Laidlaw
07/11/2010
20/10/2010
Sgt Albert Laidlaw flew as a rear gunner with 550 Squadron.
Sgt Laidlaw, along with the rest of the crew of PD319, was killed on 14 October 1944 when his Lancaster bomber PD319 / BQ-G was shot down on the raid to Duisburg.
 |
For further information and photos click here Picture courtesy of Evelyn Miller |
Sgt Wilfred Barratt
07/11/2010
19/10/2010
Sgt Wilfred Barratt flew as a mid-upper gunner with 550 Squadron.
Sgt Barratt, along with the rest of the crew of ND425, was killed on 30/31 March 1944 when his Lancaster bomber was shot down by a night-fighter on the raid to Nurmburg.
 |
For further information and photos click here Picture courtesy of Gary Barratt |
S/L Pickles DFC* and Crew
17/11/2010
 |
To see further information click here Information courtesy of Gary Brooks |
W/O Peasgood
18/11/2010
 |
W/O George Peasgood was only 21 years old when he died.
For further information click here Picture courtesy of Les Finn |
F/L J Harris and Crew
 |
For further information and photos click here |
F/O Edlund and Crew
 |
To see further information click here |
F/O Cowper and Crew
08/02/2011
 |
To see further information click here Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron |
F/O Allen and Crew
08/02/2011
 |
To see further information click here Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron |
F/O Alderdice and Crew
08/02/2011
 |
To see further information click here Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron |
F/O Blackler and Crew
12/03/2011
 |
To see further information click here Picture courtesy of Mark Simpson |
F/L Newitt DFC and Crew
15/04/2011
 |
F/L Newitt and crew
Left To Right: F/L Roland Newitt, F/O Johny Wright, F/O Bill Williams, W/O Billy Hill, F/O Levene, F/Sgt John Piper, F/O Harry Quick Picture courtesy of Colin Brannigan For more information about this crew and the list of the operations they completed click here |
F/O Lukies and Crew
20/06/2011
 |
F/O Lukies and crew
Left To Right: Back row: W Hoffman (RAF), Sgt J Crane (RAF), P/O J Lukies (RAAF) (Pilot), F/Sgt L Pfitzner (RAAF) Front row: F/Sgt J Foran (RAAF), F/Sgt D Cables (RAAF), P/O J Johnson (RAAF) Photo kindly made available by Gerard Foran (grandson of W/Op J Foran) For more information about this crew click here |
F/Sgt W R Cooper and Crew
25/05/2011
RAF 550 Squadron Lancaster JB604 was lost during the night of 23/24 December 1943 when it was in collision with 550 Lancaster ED730 (BQ-G) and crashed at Fulston at 00.30hrs. This crew was only on their second operation with 550 Squadron, the squadron only having been formed out of 100 Squadron the previous month.
 |
F/Sgt William Richard Wright Cooper is buried in the churchyard at St Marys, Harrow on the Hill and photographs of the cross and inscription have recently been obtained
Picture courtesy of Russell Bates To find out more about JB604 and the crew lost so early after the squadron formation click here |
F/Sgt Langford and Crew
11/07/2011
 |
To see further information click here Picture courtesy of Mark Simpson |
P/O Kenneth Arthur Smith DFC and Crew
30/10/2011
 |
For further information and photos click here Picture courtesy of Syd Smith-Gauvin (brother of pilot Ken Smith) |
P/O Ron Digby and Crew
09/11/2011
 |
For further information and photos click here Picture courtesy of Brian Perrigo (son of James Leon Perrigo (A/G)) |
F/Sgt Johnson and Crew
27/11/2011
 |
To see further information click here Picture courtesy of Mark Simpson |