Mick M Posted 13 January , 2020 Share Posted 13 January , 2020 I'm trying to tie down the action for which Sapper 167721 Pickering 209 Field Co RE was awarded a MM. His award is in London Gazette 29.8.18 and his ribbon was given to him on 9.11.18 along with Sprs Pollard Morley and Humble but there names do not appear in this same edition and their numbers are not shown in the diary. On 10.4.18 the company diary records blowing the Pont de Nieppe on the Lys and think this may be the action so I am looking for a good account of that action if anyone can help ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadbrewer Posted 14 January , 2020 Share Posted 14 January , 2020 (edited) Not the immediate answer, but a little background that may be of interest. Albert Amos Pickering from Coventry....born 1882. Post War lived at 9 Station Street West, Great Heath. Worked for Courtaulds. Died of heart failure in Flint in 1963. Edited 14 January , 2020 by sadbrewer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstreamer Posted 14 January , 2020 Share Posted 14 January , 2020 have you tried local newspapers ? There is also a large list of mm "citations" from various sources on the British medal forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolt968 Posted 14 January , 2020 Share Posted 14 January , 2020 It is worth looking at the unit war diary about the time that the award was gazetted. Some units reported awards in the war diary. Occasionally recommendations were also reported. RM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick M Posted 14 January , 2020 Author Share Posted 14 January , 2020 9 hours ago, sadbrewer said: Not the immediate answer, but a little background that may be of interest. Albert Amos Pickering from Coventry....born 1882. Post War lived at 9 Station Street West, Great Heath. Worked for Courtaulds. Died of heart failure in Flint in 1963. Thanks I have his file and the war diary. 7 hours ago, Coldstreamer said: have you tried local newspapers ? There is also a large list of mm "citations" from various sources on the British medal forum Brill will try there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto123 Posted 24 January , 2020 Share Posted 24 January , 2020 Did you find anything? I would be interested as my French bro in law lives in Nieppe and runs a small museum of WW1 in the small Chateau. The SS killed many local resistance men in WW2 at the bridge also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 24 January , 2020 Share Posted 24 January , 2020 Mick, I am afraid that you are out of luck with two sources that are often very good when picking up details of MM awards. The war diaries of the adjutants of 34th Division and IX Corps do not include the award lists for that period. For context and the fighting around Nieppe, can I direct you to an excellent book, "The Battle of the Lys 1918: North: Objective Ypres" (Pen & Sword 2018) by, erm, well, me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew pugh Posted 24 January , 2020 Share Posted 24 January , 2020 Hi Mick He was serving with the 209th Field Company,and his Service Papers survive and are on Ancestry. Lived 9 Station St West Foleshill , Check out the war diary it may mention awards given to various men. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick M Posted 26 January , 2020 Author Share Posted 26 January , 2020 On 24/01/2020 at 14:09, toto123 said: Did you find anything? I would be interested as my French bro in law lives in Nieppe and runs a small museum of WW1 in the small Chateau. The SS killed many local resistance men in WW2 at the bridge also. The bridges of Nieppe were blown by 208th Field Company I have found the account of that in their war diary, it also carries appendices for the month of May of Maps and diagrams outlining the placement of charges...all good stuff but discounts my man...this particular day is the most likely for his award and I think they were situated in defence on a flank of Australian troops so the hunt goes on... A very interesting thing your brother may use is when the Nieppe bridge was blown, think after 9.30 pm...4 men were rescued from the water the survivors of a 7 man RAMC team sent back into Armentiers to recover a stretcher case. This account is in 208 Co diary... On 24/01/2020 at 19:32, andrew pugh said: Hi Mick He was serving with the 209th Field Company,and his Service Papers survive and are on Ancestry. Lived 9 Station St West Foleshill , Check out the war diary it may mention awards given to various men. Regards Andy Cheers Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick M Posted 26 January , 2020 Author Share Posted 26 January , 2020 On 24/01/2020 at 15:16, Chris_Baker said: Mick, I am afraid that you are out of luck with two sources that are often very good when picking up details of MM awards. The war diaries of the adjutants of 34th Division and IX Corps do not include the award lists for that period. For context and the fighting around Nieppe, can I direct you to an excellent book, "The Battle of the Lys 1918: North: Objective Ypres" (Pen & Sword 2018) by, erm, well, me. Thanks Chris, got your Lys South book and have ordered the North one....My hunt goes on.....I'm getting closer... Mick... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew pugh Posted 26 January , 2020 Share Posted 26 January , 2020 Hi Mick Check his Service papers they survive on Ancestry.They may mention something. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Black Posted 27 January , 2020 Share Posted 27 January , 2020 Under the cricket section of the Coventry Evening Telegraph on Saturday 01 June 1918, there's this small piece: "My readers will be pleased to know that Albert Pickering (the old St. Paul's District player) has been recommended for the Military Medal for a daring exploit early in the month of May." Cheers, Derek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick M Posted 27 January , 2020 Author Share Posted 27 January , 2020 16 hours ago, Derek Black said: Under the cricket section of the Coventry Evening Telegraph on Saturday 01 June 1918, there's this small piece: "My readers will be pleased to know that Albert Pickering (the old St. Paul's District player) has been recommended for the Military Medal for a daring exploit early in the month of May." Cheers, Derek. Thanks that is brilliant as I had pinned it down to the events of 10th and the evacuation of Armentierres and blowing the bridges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 27 January , 2020 Share Posted 27 January , 2020 (edited) The Coventry and Warwickshire Graphic is the best local newspaper to try which published a lot of photographs and articles on local men, including those who were awarded gallantry medals. TR Edited 27 January , 2020 by Terry_Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto123 Posted 28 January , 2020 Share Posted 28 January , 2020 On 26/01/2020 at 20:27, Mick M said: The bridges of Nieppe were blown by 208th Field Company I have found the account of that in their war diary, it also carries appendices for the month of May of Maps and diagrams outlining the placement of charges...all good stuff but discounts my man...this particular day is the most likely for his award and I think they were situated in defence on a flank of Australian troops so the hunt goes on... A very interesting thing your brother may use is when the Nieppe bridge was blown, think after 9.30 pm...4 men were rescued from the water the survivors of a 7 man RAMC team sent back into Armentiers to recover a stretcher case. This account is in 208 Co diary... Cheers Andy. I will tell him. I have just suggested that he tries to sign up to this Forum and search Nieppe. My own grandfather was in Armentieres and wrote up his memoirs which I published a few years ago. He was in the Tyneside Irish. He writes about riding/racing against an Aussie and would have passed by the road leading to my bro in laws house. he was injured while leading a senseless attack nr Arras. I remember him with his club foot. My son has his sword. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto123 Posted 28 January , 2020 Share Posted 28 January , 2020 Mick, My brother in law told me about the blowing of the bridge so may know more but most probably from British docs. I will send him a link to this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick M Posted 29 January , 2020 Author Share Posted 29 January , 2020 20 hours ago, toto123 said: Mick, My brother in law told me about the blowing of the bridge so may know more but most probably from British docs. I will send him a link to this thread. Brilliant ta On 27/01/2020 at 19:21, Terry_Reeves said: The Coventry and Warwickshire Graphic is the best local newspaper to try which published a lot of photographs and articles on local men, including those who were awarded gallantry medals. TR Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick M Posted 29 January , 2020 Author Share Posted 29 January , 2020 20 hours ago, toto123 said: I will tell him. I have just suggested that he tries to sign up to this Forum and search Nieppe. My own grandfather was in Armentieres and wrote up his memoirs which I published a few years ago. He was in the Tyneside Irish. He writes about riding/racing against an Aussie and would have passed by the road leading to my bro in laws house. he was injured while leading a senseless attack nr Arras. I remember him with his club foot. My son has his sword. Awesome, is your book in print? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cateau Joseph Posted 30 January , 2020 Share Posted 30 January , 2020 On 26/01/2020 at 21:27, Mick M said: The bridges of Nieppe were blown by 208th Field Company I have found the account of that in their war diary, it also carries appendices for the month of May of Maps and diagrams outlining the placement of charges...all good stuff but discounts my man...this particular day is the most likely for his award and I think they were situated in defence on a flank of Australian troops so the hunt goes on... A very interesting thing your brother may use is when the Nieppe bridge was blown, think after 9.30 pm...4 men were rescued from the water the survivors of a 7 man RAMC team sent back into Armentiers to recover a stretcher case. This account is in 208 Co diary... Cheers Andy. Hi, I have just joined this forum. I Live in Nieppe near Armentieres. For most of the war our city was a couple of miles behind the front line. Units had their H.Q / depots / billets here in Nieppe. The city was regularly shelled now and then. One of the church had a flat roof and therefore was an excellent observation post for British artillery and a target for the Germans... There are two districts in Nieppe : Pont de Nieppe and Town centre. Pont de Nieppe is close to river Lys and had at that time many textile factories. Due to the bombing of Armentières with gas shells from june 1917 onwards, the population of Pont de Nieppe was evacuated in august 1917. The rest of the population was evacuated 10th april 1918 owing to the advance of German troops. For 6 months Nieppe was occupied by the German army. At the end of the war 90% of buildings were destroyed. Still, inhabitants came back from 20th october and started to build again. All the best. Joseph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto123 Posted 30 January , 2020 Share Posted 30 January , 2020 On 29/01/2020 at 14:32, Mick M said: Awesome, is your book in print? Yes, I designed and printed it. I do publish a few books. Its on Amazon or on my own website which I am uncertain if will be able to link here but I will leave out the w's! I gave the title: Our is not to reason why', for he said this about the orders he was given to attack. They knew they were going into machine gun fire but couldn't disobey orders! No 1917 scenario of a late message from top brass cancelling the attack! The memoirs are written by him from when he enlisted and helped form the battalion in Newcastle and until he was shot.His parents were from what is now Northern Ireland, father a Presb. minister.My grandfather was a trained barrister but coming to England found it hard to obtain work...then war started. My dad born 1914..his dad duly goes off to train and then fight...topazbooks.co.uk is my little publishing platform...Ours is Not to Reason Why by John Corry Arnold..should be on Amazon also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tharkin56 Posted 2 February , 2020 Share Posted 2 February , 2020 Courtaulds had its own works magazine called the Rayoner if he worked there after the war he may have appeared in that or when he retired. Give the Herbert archives a call the works magazine is not digitised but only held in the archives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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