Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK

Died on this date - 28th June......Sergeant Reginald Pick was born at North Fitzroy, Victoria in 1896. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 7th July, 1915 as a 19 year old Clerk (in Commonwealth Treasury – Premier’s Department) from North Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria.

Private Pick embarked from Melbourne on 23rd November, 1915 & joined 46th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir on 6th March, 1916. He proceeded to France, arriving on 8th June, 1916 & was appointed Acting Corporal (without pay) from 10th September, 1916.

Acting Corporal Pick was sent to Hospital 19th November, 1916 with Influenza & was reduced to the rank of Private as a result. He rejoined his Unit on 8th December, 1916 & was appointed Lance Corporal.

Lance Corporal Pick was appointed Corporal on 1st January, 1917. He was promoted to Sergeant from 15th May, 1917 & was selected to attend Infantry Cadet Battalion commencing in January, 1918. He proceeded on detachment to join Infantry Cadet Battalion on 26th December, 1917.

Sergeant Pick was on command at No. 6 Officer’s Cadet Battalion at Oxford, England on 4th January, 1918.

Cadet Pick qualified for commission in Infantry at No. 6 Officer’s Cadet Battalion at Oxford, England on 22nd June, 1918 & was to retain appointment of Cadet until commissioned.

Sergeant Walter Reginald Pick died on 28th June, 1918 – his body having been found on the railway line at Rugby Railway Station. A Coroner's Inquest was held & the verdict of death was by misadventure.

Sergeant Walter Reginald Pick was buried in St. Mary’s Additional Churchyard, Clifton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, England.

Newspaper item – Rugby Advertiser, England – 6 July, 1918:
THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT RUGBY STATION
The inquest on the young Australian cadet, Walter Reginald Pick, aged 22, whose dead body (as we reported in our last issue) was found lying on the line at Rugby Station on Friday, June 28th, was conducted by Mr E F Hadow on Monday. Lieut William Richard Bishop, Australian Flying Corps, deposed that deceased was a cadet in the 6th Officers' Cadet Battalion, and was stationed at Oxford. He was preparing to take up a commission, and he left Australia in November, 1915. Fred Percy Clare, 23 Essex Street, carriage shunter, employed by the L & N-W Railway Company, deposed that at about 3.20 a.m on June 28th, he saw an object which he at first thought was a brown paper parcel, lying across the rails on the up line, but on a closer examination he found it was deceased, lying face downwards, with his head in the 4-foot way. The Preston train had shortly before gone over the rails, and the body could not have been lying there long, or it would have been seen, because a number of people crossed the rails at that spot. He informed the signalman of the discovery, and the train from Carlisle, which was then due, was stopped. With the help of the assistant stationmaster the body was removed. There was no sign of any struggle having taken place. A telephone message was sent through to London, and deceased's stick and coat were found in a carriage in the Preston train at Euston. Albert George Whiting, assistant station master, deposed that the platform at Rugby was on the reverse side to that at most stations. After the discovery of the body he sent a message along the line, asking that the train should be searched. The first-class compartments were searched without success at Willesden, and deceased's possessions were found in a 3rd-class carriage at Euston. No door was found open, and had there been any passengers in the carriage they could have left the train at Willesden. Deceased was travelling in a Caledonian coach, the doors of which shut automatically. There was no means of detecting whether such doors were shut deliberately, or whether they shut through the movement of the train. There was nothing to suggest that deceased fell out of the train ; but from the evidence witness was of opinion that he got out deliberately, and when the train moved off he tried to jump in again, and fell on to the line. Ernest Wm Lines, 87 Abbey Street, carriage examiner, deposed that he examined the Preston train when it was in Rugby Station, and everything was then in order. No doors were open, and he saw no one outside. From the position of the body, he concluded that three vehicles passed over it. The Coroner described the accident as a mystery, and said, in his opinion, the theory of Mr Whiting was borne out by the external evidence. It was for the jury to say how the accident occurred, for that it was an accident he thought they were all agreed. A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned, the jury adding that there was no evidence to show how he got on to the line."

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)

https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/clifton-on-dunsmore.html