Gallery 4

Here are some photographs of various 97 Squadron crews.

Flight Lieutenant Benton's Crew, Bourn 1944

Flight Lieutenant Benton and his crew standing beside Lancaster JB683. (From left) F/Sgt Len Hornsby (wireless operator), Sgt Jack Fernandez (rear gunner), F/Sgt Eric Rimmington (flight engineer), W/Off Les Smith (H2S operator), F/Lt Johnnie Rogerson (navigator), F/Lt Bill Benton (pilot), F/Sgt Fred "Polly" Holbrook (mid upper gunner)

Pilot Officer Giddings and his crew

Pilot Officer Giddings and five of his crew. (From left) F/Sgt Charlie Clements (H2S operator), F/Off John McGill (mid upper gunner), W/Off Bryce Webb (navigator), F/Sgt John Seale (rear gunner), Sgt Arthur Pritchard (flight engineer), P/Off Bryan Giddings (pilot).

Sergeant (later Flight Lieutenant) Munro and his crew, Woodhall Spa 1943

The Munro crew early in 1943. (Left to right) Harry Townsley (flight engineer), "Snowy" Nevard (wireless operator), Eric Suswain (bomb aimer), Jimmy Munro (pilot), Wellington "Weasel" Hill (rear gunner), Arthur Spencer (navigator), Ron Bennet (mid upper gunner).

Group Captain Johnson DSO OBE DFC AFC and crew, Coningsby 1945

Above is a photo of 97 Squadron's last wartime Commanding Officer, Group Captain Peter Johnson, standing in front of his Lancaster PB706 OF-D (Dog) with an assortment of his air and ground crews.

"Dambuster" David Maltby DSO DFC with his 97 Squadron crew

No 21 crew 97 Sqn 1941 at Coningsby.  (Left to right) Max Smith, Lyle “Pop” Humphrey, Harold Rouse, Dave Maltby, Eric “Grim” Grimwood, Harvey “Leg” Legace, George Lancey (crouched in the hatch)   The aircraft they are standing beside was Avro Manchester L7474 in which they only flew on two separate days, 3 and 8 January 1942, so it is likely that the photograph was taken on one of those two days. Picture: Kevin Lancey.

Flight Lieutenant Sauvage and his crew, Bourn 1943

Flight Lieutenant (later Squadron Leader) Johnnie Sauvage and his crew standing alongside their Lancaster EE176 OF-N (Nuts). (From left) F/Sgt Geoff Wood (rear gunner), F/Sgt Edwin Wheeler (wireless operator), Sgt Bill Waller (flight engineer), F/Lt Johnnie Sauvage (pilot), F/Off Jackie Blair (mid upper gunner), F/Lt Harold Hitchcock (navigator), F/Off Peter Burbridge (bomb aimer).

Wing Commander Dunnicliffe and crew, Bourn 1944

Wing Commander Dunnicliffe and his crew at Bourn in March 1944. (From left) F/Lt Richard Weller (mid upper gunner), P/Off James Bell (flight engineer), F/Lt Reiger (H2S operator), W/Cmdr Charles Dunnicliffe (pilot), F/Lt Charles Chetham (wireless operator), Sqn Ldr Ross Ingalls (navigator), Sqn Ldr Martin Bryan-Smith (rear gunner)

Flight Lieutenant Yaxley and crew, Coningsby 1944

Flight Lieutenant Yaxley and crew with their ground crew, Coningsby September 1944. Eric Yaxley is standing in the centre in the back row; the bomb aimer, F/Off John Alabaster is standing second from the left, the wireless operator, Flt Lt Garnet Evans is standing third from right, and the flight engineer, Sgt James Davies is standing second from right. At present, the other people in the photo are not known.

Flight Lieutenant Dodwell and crew

The crew of Stan Dodwell. Standing (left to right) F/Sgt Davis (navigator), Sgt Powell (wireless operator), Sgt Cotton (flight engineer), Sgt Topham (rear gunner). Seated (left to right) F/Off Harris (H2S operator), F/Lt Dodwell (pilot), Sgt Saunders (mid upper gunner).

Stand Dodwell had been a flying instructor in Canada for a number of years before managing to get himself on operations in the last year of the war. He wears the ribbon of the Air Efficiency Award beneath his flying wings.

Warrant Officer Cullinane and crew, Woodhall Spa 1942

This rather grainy photo is the crew of New Zealander Maurice Cullinane DFC. Unfortunately, I am not sure who is who in the photo but it was taken at Woodhall Spa in 1942.

Squadron Leader Canever and crew, Coningsby 1945

Sqn Ldr Dickie Canever (centre), Wg Cmdr "Jock" Mason (extreme left); others unknown.

Flying Officer Ryan and crew

Australian Flying Officer Bill Ryan (extreme left) with his crew. Warrant Officer Harry Kirby is second from the right; others unknown at this stage.

Flight Sergeant Gordon Hartley and his crew, Coningsby 1941

The photo above shows Gordon Hartley (extreme right) and the rest of his crew in flying kit at Coningsby in 1941. In the background can be seen a couple of Avro Manchester bombers. Sgt Bob Gross (wireless operator) is standing next to Hartley but I am not sure who the other men are.

Pilot Officer Jones and his crew, Bourn 1943

Pilot Officer Doug "Jonah" Jones and his crew posed for this photo amongst some 2000lb bombs. (From left) Sgt Oscar Brierley (rear gunner), F/Off Tommy Hodkinson (bomb aimer), P/Off Doug Jones (pilot), Sgt Jack Hannah (wireless operator), Sgt Maurice Hemming (flight engineer), Sgt Jimmy Silk (navigator), unknown armourer, Sgt Fred Strange (mid upper gunner)

Warrant Officer Plaunt and his crew, Woodhall Spa 1943

Canadian Warrant Officer Donald Plaunt and five of his crew. Back row (left to right) Joe Taylor (mid upper gunner), Trevor Williams (flight engineer), Donald Plaunt (pilot), Jean-Louis Viau (bomb aimer). Front row (left to right) "Jock" Lochrie (rear gunner), Ralph Franks (wireless operator).

Flight Lieutenant Watson and his crew, Coningsby 1945

Australian pilot Keith Watson (standing centre) and his crew at Coningsby in 1945. (From left) F/Lt Bill Kelley (navigator), F/Lt Alan Noble (H2S operator), F/Sgt Eddie Clarkson (rear gunner), F/Lt Watson, F/Lt Ray Rolfe (wireless operator), F/Sgt Charlie Mitford (mid upper gunner), F/Sgt Len Wilman (flight engineer).

Flight Lieutenant Ames and his crew with their ground crew

Here is F/Lt Ken Ames and his crew with five of their ground crew, taken at East Kirkby in 1944 when they were serving with 630 Squadron. From left (back row) W/O Harvey (Tex) Glasby (later Plt Off DFC) (Wireless Operator), Flt Lt Ken Ames DFC & Bar (Pilot), Plt Off Paddy Parle DFM (Rear Gunner), Flt Lt Fred Spencer DFC (Flight Engineer) (Navigator), 2 unknown groundcrew. From left (front row) 2 unknown groundcrew, F/L Jim Wright DFC, Plt Off Tom Savage DFM (Bomb Aimer), 2 unknown groundcrew.

Squadron Leader Peter de Wesselow DSO DFC & Bar and his crew

A highly efficient crew who operated with 97 Squadron during the Battle of Berlin period 1943-44.

(Left to right) Gordon Cooper DFC & Bar (Radar Operator), John Saynor DFC (Rear Gunner), Stan Carlyle DFM (Navigator), Peter de Wesselow DSO DFC & Bar (Pilot), Fred White DFC (Wireless Operator), Bill Bamlett DFC DFM (Flight Engineer), Grant Muckhart DFC (Mid Upper Gunner)

Flying Officer Ernest "Rod" Rodley and his crew

Flying Officer Rodley and his crew alongside their Avro Manchester bomber at Coningsby in 1941 - (left to right) Sergeant Crisp (Rear Gunner), Sergeant Crisp (Wireless Operator), Flying Officer Rodley (Pilot), Sergeant Henley (Navigator), Pilot Officer Colquhoun (Second Pilot), Sergeant Cumming (Mid Upper Gunner).

Ernest "Rod" Rodley was one of 97 Squadron's most distinguished pilots, who completed a total of 60 operations with the Squadron in two separate tours, the first in 1941-42 and the second during 1943. He finished the war as a Wing Commander and was awarded the DSO DFC and Bar and AFC.

Flight Lieutenant Peter Clayton DSO DFC and his crew

Photo sent in by Darren Rigsby whose Grandfather was Pilot Officer Peter Bone DFC (extreme left in this crew photo). P/O Bone was the mid upper gunner in the crew, captained by Flight Lieutenant Peter Clayton DSO DFC (who is in the centre with the spaniel). The other members of the crew are F/O Arthur Newbegin (Bomb Aimer, 2nd from right), S/L Freddie Chandler DSO DFC (Navigator, 2nd from left), F/Sgt Albert Palmer DFM (Flight Engineer, 3rd from left), W/O John Woods DFC (Rear Gunner, 3rd from right) and Warrant Officer William Halsey DFC (Wireless Operator, extreme right).

Interestingly, "Sandy" the spaniel often flew on ops with the crew and had his own flying log book!

Flight Lieutenant Bob Fletcher DFC DFM and his crew

(Left to right) Sgt E.J.White (Mid upper gunner), F/Sgt J.E.Nelson (F/Engineer), F/Sgt J.F.Beesley ( Bomb Aimer), F/Lt Fletcher (Pilot), W/O W.H.Layne (W/Operator) and F/Sgt H.R.Page (Rear Gunner). There is an unidentified member of the ground crew at the back.

F/Sgt Page was killed on 23/24thSeptember 1943 when the crew were shot down, as were two other airmen who flew as replacement crew members, Sqn Ldr Foster DFC (Navigator) and Sqn Ldr McKinna DFC (Mid Upper Gunner). Fletcher, Nelson, Beesley and Layne were taken prisoner.

Bob Fletcher was on his second tour of operations with 97 Squadron, having completed a previous tour between April 1941 and June 1942 as a Sergeant (and winning the DFM).

Flight Lieutenant Tom Dykins and crew

This photo (above) has been supplied by F/Lt Dykins who is in the centre with his crew. They joined 97 Squadron at Coningsby about June 1945 and flew many trips to Italy bringing back our own POWs . Tom had been a POW himself after being shot down in March 1945 when he was with 189 Squadron.

This photo (above) was provided by Cameron Chalmers who is the grandson of Sergeant Alan Sibbald (who is standing extreme right). Sgt Sibbald was the flight engineer in the crew of Wing Commander Rayner Baker DSO DFC, who was the 'A' Flight Commander from October 1944 until the end of the war. The names of the three ground crew crouching in the front row are not known, nor do I know who is who amongst the other aircrew in the back row but the other members of Wng Cmdr Baker's crew were Flying Officer K.J.Parfitt (navigator), Flight Lieutenant R.V.Allan (Radar Operator), Flight Liuetenant F.H.Harrison (Visual Air Bomber), Warrant Officer F.A.John (wireless op), F/Sgt D.H.Wonfor (Mid upper gunner), F/Sgt D.Mallinson (Rear gunner). 

Sgt Sibbald met and married Cameron's Grandmother at Coningsby where she was serving as a WAAF. You can see her photo under section "WAAFs " in menu bar.

Flight Lieutenant Bill Eaton DFC & Bar with his crew

(Above) Bill Eaton is extreme left in this photo taken with his crew. Immediately next to him is the wireless operator, Pilot Officer John Spriggs DFC. Photos of these two at the 2005 Reunion can be seen under the Reunions section of this site. The names of the other members of the crew will be added soon.

Pilot Officer Don Montgomery DFC and his crew, Woodhall Spa 13th April 1943

(Below) This very distinguished and decorated crew that completed a double-tour of 45 operations with 97 Squadron between 27th January and 25th November 1943.

(Left to Right) Pilot - D.A.Montgomery DFC RCAF; Bomb Aimer J.E.Gardner DFM; Mid Upper Gunner - S.H.A.Neill DFM; Rear Gunner - R.K.Baggs DFM; Navigator E.L.Cohn DFC; Wireless Operator; J.L.R.Baker DFM; Flight Engineer - G.C.Granger DFM.

Flight Lieutenant Peter Drane DFC and crew

(Above) This is Flight Lieutenant Peter Drane's crew, who joined 97 Squadron on 26th January 1944 from 207 Squadron, having completed 18 operations. Drane is standing second from right in the back row, and Flight Sergeant Ronald Buck (Rear Gunner) is in the front row (extreme right). The other members of the crew were Sgt Roger Bowen (Flight Engineer), Sgt C.G.Trotman (Navigator), Sgt John Donald (Wireless Operator), F/Sgt Leslie Wagner (Set Operator) and Sgt John Henderson (Mid Upper Gunner).

The crew completed a double-tour of 45 operations but Peter Drane continued flying on operations with 139 Squadron (on Mosquitoes). Sadly, he was killed on 15th January 1945 when his aircraft crashed in poor weather whilst waiting to land at Thurleigh in Bedfordshire.

(Photo courtesy of 207 Squadron Archives)

Flying Officer Cyril Woolnough DFC and his crew

Here are two photographs of Australian Cyril Woolnough and his crew who completed 45 operations together, initially with 61 Squadron and then with 97 Squadron.

(Above) Standing (from left) Sgt Eric Smith (Rear Gunner), Sgt Peter Gould (Flight Engineer), F/O Cyril Woolnough DFC (Pilot), F/O Ian Ravenscroft DFC (Bomb Aimer), F/L Bert Haggerston DFC (Navigator); Sitting (from left) Sgt Harry Silzer (Mid Upper Gunner), Sgt "Ginger" Smith (Wireless Operator).

(Below) The same crew dressed for battle, about to board their Lancaster in 1944.