At the end of the war, demobilisation left the men and women of 550 squadron to get on with civilian life, but with the passing of the years of peace, many developed the desire to re-establish contact with old comrades, and members of 550 squadron gradually contacted each other.
In 1980, British TV channel 4 started a 'Service Pals' teletext service at Christmas, which Frank Pritchard used to obtain further '550' contacts. Bob Sloan visited Frank on a visit from Australia and they met with Jack Harris; with Jack Harding as Canada representative, they formed the 550 association.
The first reunion was held at the RAF museum, Hendon, and since then, they have met annually since then, at North Killingholme (Lincolnshire, UK) where the squadron was based.
The association now has over 150 members from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and around the world. Whilst there is an increasing attrition due to the age of the members many relations and friends become associate members and thus membership numbers are currently stable.
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first reunion, at RAF Conningsby |