No.50 & No.61 Squadrons Association

The Memorial Service for 2025 is planned to take place on Sunday of 8th June 2025.

The Sunday service at the Birchwood memorial will be at 11.30 on the 8th June.

The follow on service at the village memorial will also still take place at 14.00.

The AGM will be held on Saturday 7th June at 17.00hrs. the venue Skellinghtorpe Community Centre. Following which we will adjourn to a local hostelry for refreshement and a bite to eat.

Within this page we hope to compile an archive of wartime pictures of the two squadrons. If you have any war time photos that you think would be suitable, please email them via the contact page

Postcard dated 1939 on reverse. Believed to be from Hemswell. Courtesy of Neil Fomison

50 Squadron Lindholme 1940. Courtesy of John Nilan

50 Squadron, RAF Skellingthorpe, 13 March 1945

50 Squadron (Courtesy of Barbara Gurney)

61 Squadron Ansons (Courtesy Jack Lawrence) this dates it between March 1937 and January 1938 at RAF Hemswell.

61 Squadron 1938 with Belenheims. RAF Hemswell. (Courtesy Jack Lawrence)

The aircrew photo is identified as 61 Squadron August 1940 in the book "A Bomber Command Survivor" by Stanley Harrison. Sgt George Fomison - Middle Row, 12th from LHS F Sgt John Wooldridge - Front Row, 3rd from LHS. Courtesy of Neil Fomison.

61 Squadron October 1940 (Courtesy of Andrew Schofield)

Reverse of 61 Squadron Ocober 1940

61 squadron. Based on George Fomison postings, date must be somewhere between 24th June 1939 (date of joining 61) and 29th Nov 1940 (transfer to 207).Sgt George Fomison - 3rd row from front, 3rd from RHS. Courtesy of Neil Fomison.

61 Squadron RAF Hemswell March 1941

61 Squadron with Manchester, RAF Woolfox Lodge. March 1942. (Courtesy Mathew Chivers)

61 Squadron 1943 RAF Syerston.

61 Squadron, RAF Skellingthorpe, March 1945

This picture and the one below shows NF922, VN-U of No.50 Squadron with crew members. Although there is more than the standard crew, the 3 at the front are from the left Bob Baber navigator, Frank Turner mid upper, and ginger Lee rear gunner.
At the back is Ginger franklin bomb aimer, Geoff Carslake W/OP Bill Endean pilot and Tom Hall flight engineer. The other two are the ground crew.

Same aircraft and same people as above but stood in front of VN-U.

It is suspected that this is taken in the winter of 1944 or 1945 at Skellingthorpe.

VN-T the aircraft of Sqn/Ldr Bill Drinkell being de-iced on disperasal at Skellingthorpe

ED 860; QR-N

This photo of aircraft taken on 30 Dec 1943. The writing at bottom give Lat & Long of its position. Supplied by Des Collings it is believed to be a photo of his cousins aircraft DV375.

This picture supplied by Bill Jackman of him and his crew standing beside their aircraft PB596.

The late Doug Gregory (Top right) and his crew

AE116 of 50 Squadron being recovered at Waddington. Wally Layne was a crew member on this aircraft.

Although not related to No.50 or No.61 Squadrons this is a wonderful picture of a Stirling Squadron readying for duty as tugs on D-Day

Graham Stokes MUG, Peter Hawkins BA, George Wilkie RG, Bill Burns Pilot, Tom Croally Nav, William Dixon WO.

The original crew of QR-F, LM274 in front of a Wellington, they were later joined by Len Hume Taylor FE, to form the seven man crew for the Lancaster.

Courtesy of Terry Dixon, this shows his father William Charles Dixon (Far left) with the rest of the crew. The others are Bob Wake, Bill Burns, Tom Croally, Len Taylor, sitting, George Wilkie and Graham Stokes.