Biography of Sapper Thomas Charles Pickering (aka Edward) 34372
56th Field Coy, Royal Engineers
Died 25th September 1915

• Name: Alice Atkinson
• DOB: 1864
• Place Of Birth: Graby, Lincolnshire, England
• Marriage: 1892 Bourne District

Relatives in services

• Thomas’ distance cousin George Wilson Hull (Snart) also fought and was killed in WW1. George can be found on our page dedicated to the Baston War Memorial

Marriage

• No marriage for Thomas has been found and because of his age we can assume that he never had the opportunity to marry.
  Althrough he does have one child named Horace Bennett

Newspaper Mentions

• Grantham Journal Saturday 30th January 1915.
  Aslackby
  The war is depleting the village of most of its young men. Three young fellows joined the colours this week, namely, Wm Bates, Chas Pickering and A Key. There are only a few now who have not recognised their duty to the women and children, as well as their King and country.

• Grantham Journal Saturday 23rd October 1915
  Aslackby
  MISSING:
  The War Office has informed Mr S E Pickering that his son Charles has been missing for some time and that any information received will be sent on to him at once

• Lincolnshire Echo Tuesday 21st March 1916
  Lincolnshire Day By Day
  It now transpires that Pte Charles Pickering of Aslackby, who has been missing from the Western Front during the last seven months is wounded and a prisoner in Germany. He was captured by the enemy just prior to the Battle of Loos.

• Lincolnshire Echo Thursday 23rd March 1916
  Aslackby residents have been somewhat relieved to hear that Private C. Pickering, of Aslackby, who has been missing for about seven months, has been discovered to be in Germany as a wounded prisoner. 

• Grantham Journal Saturday 25th March 1916
  Aslackby
  News has been received here that Pte Charles Pickering, who has been missing from the Western front for about seven months, is in Germany, wounded and a prisoner of war. He was captured by the Germans just prior to the battle of Loos. The news that he is alive has caused feelings of relief in the parish, where he was well known.

• Grantham Journal Saturday 30th September 1916
  Aslackby
  A Memorial Service was held and a dumb pearl rung on September 17th in honour of two of our brave soldier-boys who voluntarily enlisted at the beginning go the war. Henry Green met his death on the battlefield of Suvla Bay, when the British were effecting a landing on August 9th 1915. Charles Pickering 21 was a well-known inhabitant of this parish and was a ringer, chorister and communicant both in Aslackby and Bicker Churches. He enlisted as a sapper and was last heard of at Loos, September 25th, 1915

Military Records

Medals

• Under Edward Pickering
• The British Medal
• The Victory Medal
• The 15 Star

Memorials

• UK:
• Aslackby, plaque in St James’ Church

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
• Not found for Thomas Charles Pickering but most likely be:
• In Memory of Sapper Edward Pickering, 34372, Royal Engineers, 56th Field Coy who died on 25 September 1915.
• Remembered with Honour Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
• Panel 9

© Photo courtesy of John Key

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

• Currently we are trying to find Thomas in official Army records. He went missing in September 1915 and because he was never mentioned again, the war office could have issued a date of death of the 25 September. News paper articles of the time suggest that he was still alive in March 1916 and was a prisoner of war. The fact that official military records list his death means that whilst missing presumed dead, he could have died in the prison camp during the latter part of the war and never returned home.

Sources

• WW1 Soldier’s Records (www.ancestry.co.uk)
• British Newspaper Archive.
• Fold 3
• Find My Past
• Genealogist
• Forces War Records
• British Army Service Numbers
• War Gratuity Calculator
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• National Archives – Battalion War Diaries
• General Registry Office