WILLIAM CAMPBELL PICKERING
REGIMENTAL NO. 3/554
9 January 1879 – 23 October 1915
William Campbell Pickering was born in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England on 9th January 1879. He was baptised on 14 February 1879 at the Christian Bible Church, Barrow-in-Furness with only his mother, Mary named and no father. At the time of the 1881 Census 2 year old William and his mother, who was a domestic servant, were living with her parents, John and Elizabeth and youngest brother, Stephen at 77 South Row, Barrow-in-Furness. John, an iron ore miner, and Elizabeth and their first 3 children had been born in Wales and moved to Lancashire sometime between 1851 and 1855 where at least another 4 children were born, including Mary who was born in 1859.
In 1891 12 year old William was an errand boy living in Cumberland at Lapstone Road, Millom with his widowed grandmother, Elizabeth. They were in the household of Elizabeth’s sister Margaret, Margaret’s husband Edward and their son Benjamin aged 25. William’s mother, Mary, was not with the family, nor with those of her brothers who were also living in Cumberland in 1891.
At some stage William and his mother emigrated from England to New Zealand. It is possible that they first went to Australia where Mary’s brothers Edward and Stephen had gone to live in 1884 and 1886. The first citing of William in New Zealand is when at the age of 24 on 9 November 1903 he married Emily Frances Burns at the Kent Terrace Presbyterian Church in Wellington. William was a Carter and they lived at 9 Coombe Street, Wellington. Coombe Street is now an entrance to Massey University Campus off Tasman Street in the central city suburb Mount Cook.
William and Emily had two children, both born in Wellington, Gwendoline Elizabeth (1905) and William Graham (1907). The family moved to live in Jackson Street, Brooklyn, and Gwendoline started school at Brooklyn School on 23 August 1910. When William junior started school in 1913 the family had moved again and were living at 11 Taft Street, Brooklyn. Interestingly, when both Gwendoline in 1914 and William junior in 1916 left Brooklyn School, their destination was described as Australia. William junior returned to New Zealand where he married in 1932, but Gwendoline seems to have remained in Australia.
On 3 March 1915, William now a Clerk with the Wellington Harbour Board, attempted to enlist at Trentham. He was described as 36 years old, he was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 9 stone 12 pounds. He had dark complexion, green eyes and black hair. His religious profession was described as ‘English’, probably meaning Church of England. His medical examination showed that he had good eyesight, his hearing and colour vision were normal and all other aspects of his health were good. However, due to his teeth being ‘insufficient’ and making it likely to interfere with the efficiency of his duties, he was deemed ‘temporarily unfit’. He was advised that he would be accepted after getting plates (presumably false teeth). William must have done this as when he was re-examined on 16th March 1915, he was accepted as his teeth were now satisfactory. He was given the Regimental number 3/554 with No.1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital.
On 19 March 1915 the Evening Post listed William Campbell Pickering (Harbour Board employee) as one of those in No.5 Group (Wellington City and Suburbs) who had applied for service abroad with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force since the introduction of the new recruiting system on 15th February.
On 20 May 1915 The Dominion wrote “No.1 Stationary Hospital is to sail for the front from Wellington tomorrow. The personnel has spent about a fortnight at Trentham Camp preparing for the departure.” Amongst the list of those who sailed on H.M.T. “Moldavia” from Wellington on 21 May 1915 under Lieut-Col D.J. McGavin was Private W.C. Pickering. Also on board was another Brooklyn man, John Bruno Walter. William had been inoculated twice in March 1915 but as they had not taken, he was vaccinated on board ship on 5 June 1915. The ship arrived at Port Said on 1 July 1915 and shortly after on 16 July, William was hospitalised himself with diarrhoea.
William remained with No.1 Stationary Hospital in Cairo until 19th October 1915 when he together with 36 nurses, 12 officers and 143 other ranks from New Zealand and the Ammunition Column of the British 29th Division (10 officers and 439 other ranks) boarded the S.S. “Marquette” at Alexandria. The Stationary Hospital was bound for Salonika in Greece to handle the sick and injured from the fighting at Gallipoli in Turkey. As a troop transport ship, the “Marquette” was painted grey, not the white of a hospital ship which would have made it safe from attack.
When steaming through the Aegean on the morning of 23 October 1915 the “Marquette” was struck by a torpedo from a German U35 submarine, when 67 kilometres south of Salonika. The ship sank within 10 minutes. 167 people died either from sustained injuries or by drowning. Both William Campbell Pickering and John Bruno Walter were two of the 19 New Zealand Medical Corps staff who died, along with 10 women of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service and 3 other New Zealand men.
On 30 October 1915 a cable signed “Hamilton” (presumably Lieut-General Hamilton, Commanding Officer of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Gallipoli Campaign) was sent to William’s wife Emily reporting William missing, believed drowned. On 7 November 1915 “Hamilton” again sent a cable to William’s wife, this time saying ‘Reported Drowned’.
After William’s death, his wife Emily moved to Chapman’s Lane, Johnsonville, Chapmans Lane is now an access road from Burgess Road alongside the motorway, servicing various light industrial sites. She then moved to Waratah, NSW, Australia, before returning to 22 Jefferson Street, Brooklyn by 1928 where she remained until her death in 1952.
William’s service, which totalled 221 days only, entitled his family to the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These medals were sent to Emily at 22 Jefferson Street in Brooklyn in October 1923
William Campbell Pickering and John Bruno Walter and others who died on the “Marquette” are listed on the Mikra memorial inside the Mikra British Cemetery in Thessalonika, Greece. They are both also listed on the Brooklyn memorial.
“Reference was made at the meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board to the death of Mr William Campbell Pickering, one of the board’s staff, lost off the transport Marquette, which was torpedoed in the Aegean Sea on October 23. It was resolved on the motion of Mr Fletcher, that a letter of sympathy be sent to the widow, and that the half-pay allowed by the board to Mr Pickering while on active service be continued until her pension has been awarded.” North Otago Times 29 October 1915, p.6
In Memoriam notices appeared in newspapers for several years after the war had ended.
PICKERING In loving memory of my dear son, Private William Campbell Pickering, who was drowned off the Marquette on the 23rd October, 1915.
I pictured my son returning,
And longed to clasp his hand;
But God has postponed our meeting,
It will be in a better land.
Inserted by his loving mother and step-father. Evening Post 23 Oct. 1918
In loving memory of Private William Campbell Pickering, who was drowned off the Marquette on the 23rd October, 1915.
To memory ever dear. Evening Post 23 October 1918
Inserted by his loving wife and children.
In loving memory of Private William Campbell Pickering, who was drowned off the Marquette on the 23rd October, 1915.
His duty nobly done.
Inserted by his loving wife, son, and daughter Gwen. Evening Post 23 Oct. 1920
Research conducted by Ann Walker.
REGIMENTAL NO. 3/554
9 January 1879 – 23 October 1915
William Campbell Pickering was born in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England on 9th January 1879. He was baptised on 14 February 1879 at the Christian Bible Church, Barrow-in-Furness with only his mother, Mary named and no father. At the time of the 1881 Census 2 year old William and his mother, who was a domestic servant, were living with her parents, John and Elizabeth and youngest brother, Stephen at 77 South Row, Barrow-in-Furness. John, an iron ore miner, and Elizabeth and their first 3 children had been born in Wales and moved to Lancashire sometime between 1851 and 1855 where at least another 4 children were born, including Mary who was born in 1859.
In 1891 12 year old William was an errand boy living in Cumberland at Lapstone Road, Millom with his widowed grandmother, Elizabeth. They were in the household of Elizabeth’s sister Margaret, Margaret’s husband Edward and their son Benjamin aged 25. William’s mother, Mary, was not with the family, nor with those of her brothers who were also living in Cumberland in 1891.
At some stage William and his mother emigrated from England to New Zealand. It is possible that they first went to Australia where Mary’s brothers Edward and Stephen had gone to live in 1884 and 1886. The first citing of William in New Zealand is when at the age of 24 on 9 November 1903 he married Emily Frances Burns at the Kent Terrace Presbyterian Church in Wellington. William was a Carter and they lived at 9 Coombe Street, Wellington. Coombe Street is now an entrance to Massey University Campus off Tasman Street in the central city suburb Mount Cook.
William and Emily had two children, both born in Wellington, Gwendoline Elizabeth (1905) and William Graham (1907). The family moved to live in Jackson Street, Brooklyn, and Gwendoline started school at Brooklyn School on 23 August 1910. When William junior started school in 1913 the family had moved again and were living at 11 Taft Street, Brooklyn. Interestingly, when both Gwendoline in 1914 and William junior in 1916 left Brooklyn School, their destination was described as Australia. William junior returned to New Zealand where he married in 1932, but Gwendoline seems to have remained in Australia.
On 3 March 1915, William now a Clerk with the Wellington Harbour Board, attempted to enlist at Trentham. He was described as 36 years old, he was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 9 stone 12 pounds. He had dark complexion, green eyes and black hair. His religious profession was described as ‘English’, probably meaning Church of England. His medical examination showed that he had good eyesight, his hearing and colour vision were normal and all other aspects of his health were good. However, due to his teeth being ‘insufficient’ and making it likely to interfere with the efficiency of his duties, he was deemed ‘temporarily unfit’. He was advised that he would be accepted after getting plates (presumably false teeth). William must have done this as when he was re-examined on 16th March 1915, he was accepted as his teeth were now satisfactory. He was given the Regimental number 3/554 with No.1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital.
On 19 March 1915 the Evening Post listed William Campbell Pickering (Harbour Board employee) as one of those in No.5 Group (Wellington City and Suburbs) who had applied for service abroad with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force since the introduction of the new recruiting system on 15th February.
On 20 May 1915 The Dominion wrote “No.1 Stationary Hospital is to sail for the front from Wellington tomorrow. The personnel has spent about a fortnight at Trentham Camp preparing for the departure.” Amongst the list of those who sailed on H.M.T. “Moldavia” from Wellington on 21 May 1915 under Lieut-Col D.J. McGavin was Private W.C. Pickering. Also on board was another Brooklyn man, John Bruno Walter. William had been inoculated twice in March 1915 but as they had not taken, he was vaccinated on board ship on 5 June 1915. The ship arrived at Port Said on 1 July 1915 and shortly after on 16 July, William was hospitalised himself with diarrhoea.
William remained with No.1 Stationary Hospital in Cairo until 19th October 1915 when he together with 36 nurses, 12 officers and 143 other ranks from New Zealand and the Ammunition Column of the British 29th Division (10 officers and 439 other ranks) boarded the S.S. “Marquette” at Alexandria. The Stationary Hospital was bound for Salonika in Greece to handle the sick and injured from the fighting at Gallipoli in Turkey. As a troop transport ship, the “Marquette” was painted grey, not the white of a hospital ship which would have made it safe from attack.
When steaming through the Aegean on the morning of 23 October 1915 the “Marquette” was struck by a torpedo from a German U35 submarine, when 67 kilometres south of Salonika. The ship sank within 10 minutes. 167 people died either from sustained injuries or by drowning. Both William Campbell Pickering and John Bruno Walter were two of the 19 New Zealand Medical Corps staff who died, along with 10 women of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service and 3 other New Zealand men.
On 30 October 1915 a cable signed “Hamilton” (presumably Lieut-General Hamilton, Commanding Officer of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Gallipoli Campaign) was sent to William’s wife Emily reporting William missing, believed drowned. On 7 November 1915 “Hamilton” again sent a cable to William’s wife, this time saying ‘Reported Drowned’.
After William’s death, his wife Emily moved to Chapman’s Lane, Johnsonville, Chapmans Lane is now an access road from Burgess Road alongside the motorway, servicing various light industrial sites. She then moved to Waratah, NSW, Australia, before returning to 22 Jefferson Street, Brooklyn by 1928 where she remained until her death in 1952.
William’s service, which totalled 221 days only, entitled his family to the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These medals were sent to Emily at 22 Jefferson Street in Brooklyn in October 1923
William Campbell Pickering and John Bruno Walter and others who died on the “Marquette” are listed on the Mikra memorial inside the Mikra British Cemetery in Thessalonika, Greece. They are both also listed on the Brooklyn memorial.
“Reference was made at the meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board to the death of Mr William Campbell Pickering, one of the board’s staff, lost off the transport Marquette, which was torpedoed in the Aegean Sea on October 23. It was resolved on the motion of Mr Fletcher, that a letter of sympathy be sent to the widow, and that the half-pay allowed by the board to Mr Pickering while on active service be continued until her pension has been awarded.” North Otago Times 29 October 1915, p.6
In Memoriam notices appeared in newspapers for several years after the war had ended.
PICKERING In loving memory of my dear son, Private William Campbell Pickering, who was drowned off the Marquette on the 23rd October, 1915.
I pictured my son returning,
And longed to clasp his hand;
But God has postponed our meeting,
It will be in a better land.
Inserted by his loving mother and step-father. Evening Post 23 Oct. 1918
In loving memory of Private William Campbell Pickering, who was drowned off the Marquette on the 23rd October, 1915.
To memory ever dear. Evening Post 23 October 1918
Inserted by his loving wife and children.
In loving memory of Private William Campbell Pickering, who was drowned off the Marquette on the 23rd October, 1915.
His duty nobly done.
Inserted by his loving wife, son, and daughter Gwen. Evening Post 23 Oct. 1920
Research conducted by Ann Walker.