550 Squadron Photos
LM273 / BQ-O
F/O Grundy and Crew
LM273 was one of two 550 Sqdn Lancasters lost on the Pforzheim operation on 23/24 February 1945. Crewed on this operation as follows:
- F/O D H Grundy RCAF (P) Inj
- W/O E W King (F/Eng) Inj
- P/O R T Sowter RCAF (Nav) KIA
- W/O R C McLauchlan RCAF (B/A) Inj
- F/Sgt L F Figg (W/Op) Inj
- Sgt E C Jarvis (MU/AG) KIA
- Sgt E J MacKenzie (R/AG) KIA
F/S L F Figg, F/O D H Grundy, WO2 R C McLauchlan and Sgt E W King were confined in Hospital due injuries until Liberation.
Sgt King, on repatriation, was admitted to RAF Hospital Wroughton where he received treatment for a badly broken ankle.
WO2 Sowter was killed as he left the stricken Lancaster. He is buried, together with both Air Gunners, in Durnbach War Cemetery.
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Left-to-right:
F/O Grundy, F/Sgt Sowter, Sgt McLauchlan Sgt King, Sgt Figg, Sgt Mackenzie, Sgt Jarvis Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron |
More details about this crew available here.
Other information about the flight and the target available here.
The entry on the 550 Squadron Roll of Honour is available here.
In June/July 2019 Jim Cameron, son of Les Cameron (see below), visited the Eutingen area with his son as they sought to find the actual site where LM273crashed (based on the details gleaned from the documents received from local records in Germany).
F/O Cameron and Crew
The photographs on this page were kindly provided by Jim Cameron, son of F/O Les Cameron pilot of LM273. The photos came to Jim from Phil Rigby (Joe Rigby was F/O Cameron's navigator). The original source may have been F/L Bob Stone, who provided many of the photographs that were available on the original web-site.
- F/O L B Cameron (P)
- Sgt D Eldridge (F/Eng)
- P/O J R Rigby (Nav)
- Sgt G A Sutherland (B/A)
- F/Sgt J W White (W/Op)
- Sgt F P Popple (MU/AG)
- Sgt J F Piertney (R/AG)
The photographs below show F/O Les Cameron, and other air and ground crew with LM273, prior to this operation.
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Left-to-right:
Sgt. F Piertney (Rear Gunner), Sgt. Frank Popple (Mid-Upper Gunner), Sgt. Dave Eldridge (Flight Engineer), F/O Les Cameron (Pilot), Sgt. George Sutherland (B/Aimer), PO Joe Rigby (Navigator) Sgt. Joe White (W/Op A/G) In the background LM273 an aircraft they took against targets 29 times Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron |
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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 White Sgt George 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 |
LM273 went on a total 43 operations before finally failing to return. Of these 29 were made by the Cameron Crew.
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BQ-O at dispersal, original source Phil Rigby
Probable date: Sept 1944 Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron |
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BQ-O showing combat damage
To find out how this damage occured then click here Picture courtesy of Jim Cameron |
More details about this crew available here.