2160372 Spr Stanley Neville Pickering. R.E.

These two grave marker photographs came with two other photographs from a house clearance. Apart from the fact that one of the portrait photographs was taken in Italy, I have no way of knowing if it is Stanley Neville Pickering in the photographs.

The name on the grave marker is Parkering but the correct surname is Pickering.





Possibly Stanley Neville Pickering.







Movement cards.





Casualty card.

 

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2216192/stanley-neville-pickering/

Concentration form stating previous burial location

Campo Verano Rome

 

Title of post states middle name as Norman as opposed to Neville:
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2216192/stanley-neville-pickering/

NOTE: title has now been corrected.

 

Record Card shows Neville

Looking now for Norman

No Stanley Norman Pickering on CWGC only Stanley Neville
No Stanley Parkering
Second opinion welcomed.

Edit: Campo Verano - Wikipedia

 

Where has Norman come from? The pics also show Neville.

 

So it would appear 23 Field Company were cut off on 10th February 1944 with 78 men unaccounted for.

 

67th Feild Regt Anzio 11th Feb 1944
This was during the period at Anzio when the Factory was taken and the Artillery withdrew to Defensive Stop Lines.

.
"Regt to move. Work on tracks to be stopped. Sappers assisting to be warned."

 

That is down to me not concentrating. I was thinking of Norman Stanley Fletcher. It is my age.

 

Don't worry HW I have an age problem too, plus a 3 year old granddaughter wanting to play on my computer.
Back this evening.

 

The photographic studio where the portrait photograph was taken was in Scordia which is in Sicily. Were the 23rd Field Company ever in Sicily?

 

23rd Field Company ever in Sicily?
No they were in British 1st Infantry Division but he may have moved to them afterwards.
Need to see his Service Records.

List of wartime orders of battle for the British 1st Division (1809–1945) - Wikipedia

 

Looking at the card, it seems it only arrived at 23 Fd. Coy. on 29th January 1944 from 4 Bn. 1 CRTD where he'd been since mid-December. I guess it is a case of checking where this unit was.

 

The card mentioned by Gary looks like a tracer card from a Geneo site.

1 TB RE 21.5.42 1 Training Battalion Royal Engineers

No4 (P) DBRE No4 (Primary) Depot Battalion Royal Engineers (56/556 Fld Coy) 3.12.42

Embarked for N. Africa 13.12 43

25. 12. 43 Disembarked X 4 List = X(iv) soldiers waiting to be posted to a unit from reserve holding / training camp.
4 Battalion ICRTD (1 Central Reserve Training Depot)

Next line is 23 Field Company RE 29.1.44

X (6) List 10.2.44 = X vi = Missing

Not much time to go elsewhere.

Casualty Card

17.2.44 Died of Wounds in enemy hands

NOK (Next of Kin informed) 30.6.44
(Rome fell to the Allies 5th June 1944)

 

1 Inf Div did the assault on Pantellaria in the build up to the Sicily operation. I think that they would have passed through Sicily at some point.

F

 

Thoughts on Foto B Colombo Scordia ferrania

Ferrania is the name of an Italian Film manufacturer

1 Div were training in Tunisia until November 1943 the Division left Pantellaria on 14th June.
23 Field Coy may have stayed to repair war damage' this might appear in their War Diary or that of 1st Division.

In December 1943 1st Div moved to Italy then transferred to 8th Army for four days over Christmas, before going to the American 5th Army for Anzio in January 1944.

1 Div appear to have sailed from Bizerte to Taranto and Bari.
23 Field Coy could have stopped off at Syracuse or Catania en route.
Personally I think that the photo was taken in Salerno or Naples before the Anzio Landing 22nd Jan 1944.
Are there any dates on the photo?
The photographer was possibly licensed by the Allied Administrators. They may have been based in Catania.
Some Units have a list of them in Part 2 Orders in War Diary Appendix.

 

The tracer says 29th January 1944 for 23 Field Company. Three reinforcements from 1 Rec camp arrived that day.

 

Questions,
Did the arrival of 56 Div have anything to do with this reinforcement.
Was the 56/556 Field Coy 30.4.43 of any significance.
Or merely a coincidence?

I think I have gone as far as I can.

From my notes:
67h Field Regt 12th to 29th February 1944
The Regiment now came under 56 Division recently arrived to take over the sea flank of the British Sector.
The Regiment under direct support of the 67th was the 36th Regiment of Combat Engineers (US) who had
relieved the Loyal’s ten days previously.

 

I'm not sure what the 56 (or the later 185) denotes in 556 Field Company but I doubt it has any connection to 56 Division.