Pickering, George (Lieutenant)

Collection relating to the First World War service of 5158 Lieutenant George Pickering, No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, England, France and Australia, April 1915 - February 1919.

Oversized Wallet 1 of 1 - Contains a souvenir album housing certificates, papers, postcards, photographs and newspaper clippings relating to Pickering's service with 3 Infantry Battalion, training with the Royal Flying Corps and service with No. 3 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps until his death from influenza on 21 November 1918. Items include a detailed summary of service, certificates and records relating to his appointment as an Officer in the Cadet Corps of the Commonwealth in 1914, training with the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 and graduation as a Flying Officer with the Australian Flying Corps in 1918. The album also features a wide variety of photographs and postcards including studio portraits and informal photographs of Pickering and No. 3 Squadron, numerous British, French and German aeroplanes, and aerial photographs relating to operations at Amiens and Hamel.

The souvenir album also includes material relating to the death and funeral of Captain Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen, known as the "Red Baron", and Pickering's own death and funeral. The former includes a souvenir swatch of fabric and an extensive collection of newspaper clippings, some of which feature Pickering who served as a pallbearer at Richthofen's funeral. Material relating to Pickering's death and funeral include official correspondence and commemorative items from Australian and British authorities including King George VI, newspaper clippings, and photographs of Pickering's military funeral procession and his temporary grave marker at the City of London Cemetery.

The collection also contains a pilot's flying log book outlining Pickering's training with the Royal Flying Corps in England and service with No. 3 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps in France from 2 August 1917 to 28 October 1918. The log book records information such as dates and times of flights, pilots, aircraft types, aerodromes, altitudes, flight courses and brief remarks relating to flying operations. The latter offers some insight into Pickering's progression and service as a pilot, with references to crash landings, equipment failures, air patrols, aerial photography, reconnaissance flights and liaison with French squadrons, as well as brief aerial observations relating to the Battle of Hamel and the Battle of St. Quentin Canal.

• Oversized Wallet 1 of 1 - Souvenir album relating to George Pickering, 1915 - 1919
• Oversized Wallet 1 of 1 - Flying log book relating to George Pickering, 1917 - 1918