Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery | XV. E. 16A. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.132 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 56A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of Harriet E. Pickering, of 1, Sweet Briar Walk, Peterborough.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 7/Northamptonshire Regiment |
7th (Service) Battalion Formed at Northampton in September 1914 as part of K3 and attached to 73rd Brigade in 24th Division. Moved to the South Downs and into billets in Southwick between November 1914 and April 1915. Moved on to Woking in June 1915. 2 September 1915 : landed at Boulogne. |
| Action : The Battle of Messines 1917 and associated actions |
7 June - 11 July 1917. The plan at Messines was to blow up 19 mines in what was the largest man made explosion before Hiroshima, and utterly destroy the German front line along the Messines Ridge. The effect was to "liquify" the ground and create a mini earthquake, which coupled with the largest artillery preparation thus far of over 3 million shells would stun the defenders into submission. The plan largely worked and was initially very successful although the Germans did re-group and opportunities to develop the attack were lost. Casualties in this victory were 25,000.
Detail :
28374, Private, 7th Bn. Northamptonshire Regiment, 73rd Brigade, 24th Division.
He is commemorated on a family gravestone: "AND OF/ PTE WILLIAM HENRY PICKERING,/ WHO DIED OF WOUNDS RECEIVED IN FRANCE,/ JUNE 21ST 1917/ AGED 40 YEARS/ "REST IN THE LORD"
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | In Arduis Fidelis No. 3432 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
3rd December 1914 | 4th February 1915 | 4th March 1915 |
Listed as a 32 year old Bank Clerk from Shepherds Bush at the time of initiation in 1914, into the Lodge of the Royal Army Medical Corps, the In Arduis Fidelis Lodge No. 3432. Three years of war service is recorded in the contribution record, followed by "Died 9th Jany 1917."
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley