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Commemorated on St James' Roll of Honour, Sydney, New South Wales: '"He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Matthew 10:39. In memory of those associated with St James' Church who gave their lives in the Great War.' Parents: Frank and Kate PICKERING, Vaughan Street, Lidcombe, New south Wales

BRAVE PICKERING BROTHERS.
In the two brothers Pickering, Auburn provided the British Army in France with just the sort of fighters that are required at times  to undertake tasks that are full of risk, but which are necessary to find out what is going on in the enemy's lines, and also to  harry the enemy as much as possible. A regiment or two of lads of the dash and fearlessness of the Auburn Pickerings would  make things pretty warm for the Huns on the Western front. Unfortunately, however, these two young heroes 'are now out of  action. One went for a flight over the German lines and did not return, and not many days afterwards tho other was killed in action. The elder was Aerial Signaller Frank Hessell Pickering, aged 23 years (nicknamed 'Snow'), and tho other Gunner Rowland  T. Pickering (commonly known as ' ' Sol ' ') was 20 years. They were respectively the oldest and second sons of Mr. John Pickering, a well-known member of the clerical stnff at Clyde railway yards, within the boundary of which his residence is  situated. The former lad, whilst in camp, was attached to the 12th Reinforcements of the 3rd Battalion. Prior to going to the front he went to Broadmeadows (Melbourne) and obtained a certificate as signaller. He left Sydney on 21st December, last year, for  the war, and whilst in Egypt was drafted into C Company of tho 3rd Battalion. He was six weeks in Egypt and went with the first  lot of troops to France, where they arrived early in April. He there went into an aviation school and passed an examination for  the position of signaller, gaining 95 marks out of a hundred. He was attached to headquarters staff, with the position of aerial  signaller to his Battalion. In one of his letters he mentioned having had half-a-dozon flights up till then, some of them being with  a daring pilot, who had been credited with bombing some big munition factories in Germany. His last individual letter to his parents was dated 28th June, but he and his brother, who were attached to the same company, sent, conjointly, a field card  dated 20th July, on which they reported that they were quite well. Four days afterwards 'Snow' was officially reported missing.  He had gone on a mission up in the clouds, but he never returned. He may have been brought down by the enemy and captured, but judging by a cablegram which the parents received from the other son, conveying the first intimation of the mishap, they  fear the worst has happened. Tho cable was received on 15th August, and read 'Frank missing, fear hopeless.' Two days after  that Rowland was killed, in action. Frank before enlisting held a position as telegraph operator at Parliament House. He belonged to tho old Granville League of Wheelmen, and also the South Sydney League, and was one of the crack riders. One of tho last  races he rode in was with the late Pte. Tommy Hammond.
Gunner Rowland T. Pickering enlisted about the same timoe as his brother, but was placed in the ,13th Reinforcements of the 3rd Battalion. He worked in the blacksmith's shop at Clyde Engineering Works. He left for the front as a bugler on 6th January last,  and in Egypt was drafted into C Company of the same battalion along with his brother. In France he joined tho machine-gun  section, and whenever volunteers were called to go on any daring expedition, 'Sol' was always one of the first to offer his  services. He had taken part in a number of raids on tho German trenches. On one occasion ho was one of a party sent to take observations of Germans erecting defence works. They crept on their stomachs for a good distance through mud and slush and  watched tho Huns fixing up wire entanglements, etc. After they got all the information they wanted they 'scooted' back to their  trenches with all haste, but tho enemy spotted them, and bullets fell thick amongst them. They, however, were lucky enough to  reach home with the loss of only one man. His parents on Friday last received oficial notification that he was killed in action on 17th August. 'Sol' know not what fear was. He would go anywhere and be in the front rank, too. 

Frank Hessell Pickering Jnr was the eldest child of Frank Hessell Pickering Snr and his wife Kate Pauline Cavanough. He was born in Newtown, Sydney in 1893.

Frank was popularly known as "Snow" on account of his very fair hair, and worked as a telegraphist in the NSW State Parliament.

He enlisted in the AIF on 15 August 1915 at age 22, only one day after his brother Roland did the same.

Frank and Roland both ended up in the 3rd Battalion on the Western Front in France, taking part in the battle of Pozieres.

Frank had trained as a signaller, and was engaged as an aerial signaller. This involved reconnaissance flights to review enemy positions, which Frank communicated back to the ground.

On 22 July 1916 Franks bi-plane failed to return from a reconnaissance flight, and he was reported missing. His brother Roland sent a cablegram to his parents back in Australia which read:

F H Pickering
Snow missing twenty fourth July. No hope. Details later.

Frank Snr immediately got in contact with the NSW Premier, William Holman, who arranged for a cable to be sent to the Agent-General in London asking for more information about Frank Jnr. William Holman was also the local member of parliament for Cootamundra where the Pickerings had lived some years earlier.

"By the Youngr Son's cable it will be noticed that he is evidently in possession of more information than the Military Authorities, and I would be glad if you will follow this matter up with a view to letting me know definitely whether the lad is killed or a prisoner. There should be no difficulty in locating this matter as the boy was well-known, and had recently passed, I understand, an examination in France to qualify for the Aeroplane Section, and the two boys, when they were out of the trenches, were in the habit of seeing one another every night." - extract from Frank Snr's letter to the Military Records department in Melbourne.

Not long after receiving the cablegram from their son Roland, parents Frank Snr and Kate received word that Roland had been killed in action.

On 9 November 1916 at a Court of Enquiry in the Anzac section of General Headquarters formally declared No. 3192 Private F. H. Pickering to be dead, having been killed in action in France. By December 1916 Frank Snr and Kate were aware both sons had been killed.

Frank and his brother Roland are commemorated on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Their names are also on the War Memorial in their hometown suburb of Auburn NSW, and overseas on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France.