Date:	Sunday 4 March 1945
Time:	00:56
Type:	Avro Lancaster Mk III
Owner/operator:	1654 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit), RAF
Registration:	PB118
MSN:	UG-Q
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Near Sookholme, Warsop, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Wigsley, Nottinghamshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Lancaster Mark III, PB118/UG-Q from 1654 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF Wigsley (parent station at Swinderby) near Lincoln was on a night exercise practice bombing over the Bassingham ranges between Lincoln and Newark close to the A46 Fosse Way.

This crew had never been on ‘Ops’. They saw one aircraft shot down in flames. The rear gunner then saw a Ju 88 who kept following the Lancaster until he gave the aircraft a burst of fire to put him off. Complying with instructions known as ‘Scram’ the pilot of the Lancaster headed in a Westerly direction.

Five minutes later the mid upper gunner spotted another Ju 88 but evaded any damage. Not long after, over Worksop, the Lancaster was hit on the starboard engine inner, the attacker for some reason or other could not be seen, after a second burst of fire the aircraft was out of control. The Skipper gave the order to bale out in the vicinity of Warsop Windmill. The blazing aircraft plunged, fortunately, into a field near the railway embankment at Sookholme, near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

Six of the seven crew survived, including pilot F/S Pinkston, Bomb Aimer John Pringle and Nav Charles (Chuck) Rouse. The mid upper gunner Flt Sgt Roderick Campbell RAFVR (1820283) was killed, landing in the Spion Kop region. The Ranby family cared for them. Eddy Moss, deceased, a Gents Hairdresser on Sherwood Street was an A.R.P. Warden at the time and saw the Lancaster coming down in flames.

Lancaster PB118 was one of two "kills" claimed in "Operation Gisella"(a Luftwaffe night-fighter intruder sortie) by Oberleitner Walter Briegleb during the night of 3/4 March 1945. He claimed to have shot down a 4-engined aircraft at 00:36 hours South of Waddington, and another 4-engined plane at 00:56 hours 40 km (25 NM) West of Lincoln - PB118 was probably the latter. One source (see link #6) states that PB118:

"Took off from Wigsley as part of a diversionary force of ninety-five aircraft supporting Main Force operations. Partially abandoned after being shot about by an Intruder falling at 0057 4 Mar 1945 near Church Warsop 8 miles SSW from Worksop Nottinghamshire". (This is slightly at variance from other sources). Note that the two locations stated are approximately 2.7 miles apart (via the A60 and Sookholme Lane)

Crew details:-
Pilot: Flight Sergeant R W Pinkstone, RAF [Injured]
Air Gunner: Sergeant Roderick Campbell RAFVR 1820283 [Killed] - sole fatality: Commemorated Gamerig Cemetery, United Kingdom
Flight Sergeant H Evans RAF [Injured]
Sergeant J S Morgan RAF [Injured]
Sergeant J Pringle RAF [Injured]
Sergeant C G Rouse RAF [Uninjured]

Sookholme is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Warsop in the Mansfield district of western Nottinghamshire, England. It is 120 miles (190 km) north west of London, 16+3⁄4 miles (27.0 km) north of the county town and city of Nottingham, and 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) north of the town of Mansfield.

Church Warsop is a village in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located 1 mile north of Warsop and is within the Warsop civil parish.

1. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
2. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
3. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=8221
4. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain 1985).
5. 'Mansfield Chad' (local newspaper) 13 February 2025: https://www.chad.co.uk/news/people/retro-1940s-war-time-plane-crashes-in-north-nottinghamshire-you-might-not-know-about-4989766?page=2
6. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=PB118
7. 1654 HCU RAF Operational Record Book (Record of events for the period 1 January 1942 to 31 July 1945): National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/612/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160901
8. Aircraft Movement Card (Air Ministry Form AM.78): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-78s/Lancaster/
9. Aircraft Accident Card (Air Ministry Form AM,1180): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-1180/Lancaster/1945/March/prt1/1.html
10. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/204296/
11. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/208091848/roderick-campbell
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2715289/roderick-campbell/
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Wigsley
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conversion_units_of_the_Royal_Air_Force
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sookholme
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Warsop

Google Maps.

I think photos taken in Canada during training.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
25-Aug-2013 10:55	JINX	Added
28-Dec-2014 07:24	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
28-Dec-2014 07:26	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Phase, Departure airport, ]
09-Jun-2015 17:55	Angel dot comma	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, ]
27-Jul-2019 17:00	Ian Lanc	Updated [Source, Photo, ]
04-Jul-2023 14:27	Anon.	Updated
23-Jul-2023 19:44	Anon.	Updated
05-Jan-2024 13:13	campbell	Updated [Narrative, ]
03-Mar-2024 08:01	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
01-Jan-2025 12:13	Anon.	Updated [Photo, ]
17-Feb-2025 18:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, Category, ]