Squadron Personnel: Summary Information

Overview

Listed below is the information available for this servicemen who served in 550 Squadron.

Serviceman Details: The column headers should be fairly self-explanatory. The final column (Web links) contains, where given, links to other items on this web-site or indeed to external sources where further information or photographs, etc can be found.

Aircraft: When a link to a particular aircraft is given, this only indicates aircraft it is known the crewman was associated with (such as when flight logs are available or the aircraft has failed to return from an operation). It does not exclude the fact that the crewman may well have flown on other aircraft too, that is either just not documented in the currently available records or simply not known to the author. The aircraft links will take you to the operations listed for that aircraft.

Note that the vast bulk of the information available about squadron servicemen presented below concerns air-crew; almost no information is available about the men, and women, of the technical and other ground crews who played their part in making the squadron an effective fighting unit. This is a shame, given the key role they played in keeping the aircraft in the air and the men flying them able to do their job. So if you have ground-crew information do please send it in so that it too can be included in the squadron record.

Definitions of the abbreviations used are available: here.


Serviceman Details Aircraft
Rank Initials
(First Name)
Last Name Decorations Service Service No. Role Flight Other Information Links FTR? Date Service Number
F/L J B
(John Benjamin)
Barnes RCAF J.41180 P - Posted to 550 Sqdn from No. 71 Base w.e.f. 05.01.45
First live op as 2nd pilot to F/Lt Pyke (PB514, 16th Jan 1945). Then had to repeat the exercise (PB514, 22nd Jan) because the first flight has been aborted due to engine fire.
Joined 550 Sqdn as F/O. At the time of the loss of PD320 was F/Lt
/documents/public/Lancasters-Crews/FOJBBarnes/index.php
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2036747
KIA 24 March 1945 NG221
PB514
PD320

The details were last updated: 22 April 2024