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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Squadrons UK and Commonwealth No.439 Sqn to No.601 Sqn  No.550 Sqn |
[UP] - No.439 Sqn RCAF - No.441 Sqn RCAF - No.450 Sqn RAAF - No.455 Sqn RAAF - No.460 Sqn RAAF - No.464 Sqn RAAF - No.467 Sqn RAAF - No.485 Sqn RNZAF - No.487 Sqn RNZAF - No.488 Sqn RNZAF - No.489 Sqn RNZAF - No.501 Sqn - No.504 Sqn - No.514 Sqn - No.542 Sqn - No.550 Sqn - No.571 Sqn - No.576 Sqn - No.578 Sqn - No.601 Sqn |
Per ignem vincimus - Through fire we conquer
| No.550 Sqn Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Lancaster Dispersal by Michael Turner. A Lancaster bomber of 550 Sqn being prepared for the coming nights operation, with another machine completing an air test overhead. |
| No.550 Sqn RAF Aircraft details |
 Lancaster Manufacturer : Avro Built : 7377 | Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' "Operation Gomorrah" in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992. |
| No.550 Sqn RAF Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Warrant Officer Jock Elliott Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Warrant Officer Jock Elliott Jock completed a full tour during the Spring/Summer of 1944 as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner with 550 Squadron on Lancasters. Returning from a trip to Revigny his Lancaster ran out of fuel and the crew bailed out safely over England. |
Warrant Officer Reg Eves Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Warrant Officer Reg Eves Rear and Middle Upper Air Gunner, 550 Squadron. |
Flt Lt Robert Stone, Croix de Guerre Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Flt Lt Robert Stone, Croix de Guerre Volunteered for flying duties in 1941 and was trained as a pilot in Canada. On returning to the UK he trained on Blenheims and was posted to North Africa early in 1943. He was invalided home after a short period, having suffered a rare tropical disease and was posted to Bomber Command and trained on Wellingtons. He was subsequently posted to 550 Squadron, No1 Group, stationed at North Killingholme in Lincolnshire, flying Lancasters. After completing 29 operations he was grounded (having developed a duodenal ulcer) and was discharged from the RAF shortly afterwards. He was subsequently awarded the Croix de Guerre. |
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