Date:	Wednesday 21 February 1945
Time:	overnight
Type:	Avro Lancaster Mk I
Owner/operator:	166 Squadron RAF
Registration:	PA179
MSN:	AS-A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Eckum, near Rommerskirchen, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia -   Germany
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B Mk. I PA179/AS-A, 166 Squadron, RAF: Lost on combat operations on 21 February 1945. Took off at 21:45 on 20 February 1945 from RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire. Crashed on the outskirts of Eckum, near Rommerskirchen, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany after being hit by anti-aircraft fire. All seven crew were killed in action

Crew:-
Pilot : Squadron Leader Kenneth Lloyd Collinson DFC RAFVR 87454 (NCO:903554 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 26 November, 1940) [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Pilot Officer Alexander James Adams DFC RAFVR 189035 (NCO:1869762 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 30 January, 1945) [Killed]
Navigator : Flight Sergeant Charles Edward Miller RAFVR 1397989 [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Flying Officer John Mackie Sinclair DFC RAFVR 168775 (NCO:3390138 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 18 January, 1944) [Killed]
Wireless Operator : Flight Sergeant Alfred Cecil Harrison RAFVR 1585791 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Flight Lieutenant John Barritt DFC RAFVR 130337 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Clifford Ronald Anderson RAFVR 1897548 [Killed]

First burial of the crew was in Rommerskirchen Cemetery in a collective grave. Sgt. Anderson's First burial was in Nettersheim grave K52/F279733. All were later re-buried (post war, by August 1950) in Rheinberg War Cemetery.

Rommerskirchen is the southernmost municipality in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

1. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
2. Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War 1945.
3. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc
4. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
5. 166 Squadron RAF Operational Record Book (Record of Events for the period 1 to 28 February 1945): National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1089/53 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8436952
6. Aircraft Movement Card (Air Ministry Form AM.78): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-78s/Lancaster/PA158-PA262/mobile/index.html
7. Aircraft Accident Record Card (Air Ministry Form AM.1180): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-1180/Lancaster/1945/February/prt3/3.html
8. Auszug aus Polizeibericht Eckum vom 21.02.1945 (German text)
9. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2042207/alexander-james-adams/
10. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2042246/clifford-ronald-anderson/
11. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2042350/john-barritt/
12. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2042753/kenneth-lloyd-collinson/
13. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2047420/alfred-cecil-harrison/
14. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2048173/charles-edward-miller/
15. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2032776/john-mackie-sinclair/
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._166_Squadron_RAF
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Kirmington
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rommerskirchen

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Aug-2013 15:41	JINX	Added
26-Dec-2014 20:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
26-Dec-2014 20:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative, ]
27-May-2016 16:32	Red Dragon	Updated [Cn, Operator, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
02-Nov-2018 18:18	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator, ]
19-Aug-2023 09:57	Rob Davis	Updated
23-Feb-2024 12:22	manniwei	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
18-Jan-2025 17:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ]
03-Sep-2025 06:56	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]