550 Squadron

F/O J A Beale DFC and Crew

F/O Beale and crew were posted to 550 Sqdn from No. 1 L.F.S w.e.f 24.11.44:

F/O Jim Beale and crew
L-to-R: F/O Beale (P), F/O Geen, F/O Glover, Sgt Mathews, Sgt Spearing, Sgt McKeown, Sgt MacKenzie
NB: Jim Beale has reported that F/O Green is incorrectly named in the photo and that it should be F/O Geen who flew in PB514/BQ-Y (Yokel)
NB: Cindy Forrest (nee McKeown) has reported that Sgt McKeown was incorrectly identified in the photo (but is corrected in the line above now). See details below.

Recently (April 2020) information was received about the above picture which now changes (reverses) two of the identifications. Namely the two gunners at the extrame right of the photo are reported to be incorrectly annotated (on the original print).

The daughter of Sgt John Lawrence McKeown notes that he is second to last in the line (and not last as in the original annotation). This identification thus has a knock on effect in the identifications there were made against each of the following photos.

F/O Jim Beale and crew
L-to-R: Sgt MacKenzie, F/O Glover, Sgt Mathews, Sgt Spearing, F/O Beale (P), Sgt McKeown,
Front, sitting F/O Geen

F/O Jim Beale and crew
L-to-R: F/O Glover(?), F/O Beale (P), F/O Geen, Sgt Mathews(?), Sgt Spearing(?), Sgt McKeown, Sgt MacKenzie

F/O Jim Beale in the pilot's seat of The Yokel

The Beale crew completed their tour on 10th April 1945. See: Plauen, PB514.