550 Squadron RAF

Avro Lancaster B Mk 3

Per ignem vincimus - Through fire we conquer

"The fighters are our salvation but the bombers alone provide the means of victory"
Winston Churchill 
September 1940

550 Squadron Formation

No. 550 Squadron RAF 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.



Roll of Honour


"Remember The Many"



Squadron History

Squadron Crest

550 Squadron Crest
(click on picture)
Brief history of 550 Squadron

 Squadron Memorials

Stained Glass
550 Squadron Memorial Window

(click on picture)
The stained glass window dedicated to 550 Squadron in
St Denys' Church, North Killingholme.

 Squadron Association

Squadron Crest

550 Squadron Crest
(click on picture)
550 Squadron and North Killingholme Association

Reunions

Reunion, North Killingholme, 2017

550 Squadron Reunions over the years
(click on picture)

Remembrance

Remembrance Sunday, North Killingholme, November 2018

Remembrance Sunday 2018
(click on picture)

North Killingholme

North Killingholme

St Denys' Church, North Killingholme
(click on picture)


Association Museum

Squadron Association Museum

550 Squadron Association Museum
(click on picture)

 Association Newsletter

Squadron Association Newsletter

550 Squadron Association Newsletter
(click on picture)

 St Denys' Church

St Denys' Church

St Denys' Church, North Killingholme
(click on picture)


Service Men and Operations

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550 Squadron Information
List of detailed reports on 550 Squadron Service Personnel, operations, etc
(click on picture)

Lists of: Service Personnel      Operations

Roll of Honour: Simple      Detailed/extended

Log Books

Log Books

Lancaster air-crew log books and service histories
(click on picture)

Photos

C Flight

Photos of RAF 550 Squadron 1944-1945
(click on picture)

Photos continue to arrive and appear online here

Politz Raid 08/02/45

Log Books
(click on picture)

Aschaffenburg Raid 21/11/1944
Last operation of The Phantom of the Ruhr

Log Books
(click on picture)

Pforzheim Raid 23/02/45

Log Books
(click on picture)


Special Order Of The Day, V E Day

Log Books
(click on picture)

All His fault ... a log book says it all

Log Books
(click on picture)

PoW Responsibilities

PoW Responsibilities
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"The Crew who Started D-Day"
F/O K Bowen-Bravery CdG DFC and Crew
BQ-J, Bad Penny II
Click image 		CdG Citation
Click image

The Phantom of the Ruhr - 2007 Unveiling

BBMF

Unveiling of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster in April 2007
(click on picture)

The Phantom of the Ruhr - Photos

BBMF

BBMF Lancaster BQ-B
(click on picture)

BBMF Lancaster - Photos

BBMF

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster
(click on picture)


550 Squadron: FTR

Squadron FTR

550 Squadron Lancasters (that failed to return)
(click on picture)
request for information

 Thirty Missions by Roger Kirby

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Thirty Missions by Roger Kirby
(click on picture)
Roger Kirby's tribute, to his father (a nav with 550) and to RAF Bomber Command
More information can be found at http://www.30missions.com/.
This Daily Telegraph review from 2008 describes some of the background to the paintings.

Bomber Command Memorial

Bomber Command Wings
(click on picture)

Arrived Green Park: May 2012 Unveiled: June 2012

Unveiling of Bomber Command Memorial
Poppy Salute

Lancaster Fly-past

28th June 2012


Bomber Command Clasp

Bomber Command Wings
(click on picture)

Recently announced by the UK Government for those who flew at least one operational mission over Germany and France

PLUS: Bomber Command Clasp Presentations by Prime Minister Cameron: 550 Squadron represented


Books and Magazines

Ton-up Lancs

Books
(click on picture)

 Searching for Information?

Information Search

RAF Squadrons and Bomber Command information
(click on picture)
There is a large amount of information about RAF Bomber Command
available on the Web

Requests For Information

Request for information on Sgts Sheridan and McVey killed 4th October 1944 in NF963 on a training flight with the F/O S H Hayter crew. Both men were from Scotland and are buried in Glasgow and Lanarkshire repectively.

For more details click here.

If you can help with information on any of the requests then do please contact the web-site.

A mounted copy of an original Phantom of The Ruhr print has been given to the 550 Museum.

PoTR

Over the years the Association has received many requests for information such as concerning the above print or about individual air-crew, aircraft, operations, etc. You can find many of these queries on the requests for information page.

If you can help with information on any of the requests then do please contact the web-site.

In The Media
TV and Newspaper Items

A collection of items that have appeared on TV, on the radio or in newspapers, some specifically about 550 Squadron or North Killingholme, and others more generally about Bomber Command. Follow this link.

Royal British Legion

Royal British Legion

Royal British Legion
Shoulder to shoulder with all who serve
(click on picture)

Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day 2020 Saturday 27th June
(click on picture)

The men and women of our Armed Forces, past and present, deserve our remembrance and appreciation.

The 2020 National Event to be held in Scarborough on Saturday 27th June 2020.
Local events will be taking place across the country.

Unfortunately due to the Coronavirus outbreak, this years Armed Forces Day National Event hosted by Scarborough Borough Council has been cancelled.

Other Armed Forces Day events may also be affected by COVID-19.
Please contact the individual event organisers for further information on specific events.

To get involved, visit the Armed Forces Day National Event web-page.

Help for Heroes

Help For Heroes

A charity for the wounded in Britain's current conflicts.
It is all about the men and women of the Armed Forces.
Practical, direct support for our wounded.
See how you can help.
(click on picture)


Miscellaneous
Association Contacts

550 Squadron Association contact names/details are available here
Web-site information

Web-site information, including the details associated with setting up the web-site, contact information and reference sites hosted on the same server(s) is available from the here
Note that the web-pages have been defined/implemented principally for viewing on PC (laptop or desktop) on web browsers, and have not been adapted for viewing on mobile devices (smart-phones, tablets). Re-engineering pages for better viewing on mobile devices remains a future aspiration.
The (technical) server details are outlined here.