John William Pickering was born on the 30th May 1895 in Elmton in the parish of Creswell. He was the son of William and Hannah Pickering. His sister Annie [born 1892] was born while the family were living near Beauchief Abbey in Sheffield.

The family extended into Nottingham, with John’s uncle and aunt Richard Haddon [born 1869] and Emma Haddon [born 1873] and their daughter Annie living in Kimberley. Richard was a collier.

Prior to joining the navy John worked as a collier. He went on to have a lengthy career in the navy which spanned both world wars.

After joining the navy as a Stoker 2nd Class in February 1915 John was assigned to the HMS Victory II, then in July 1915 he moved to the Grafton. Whilst on the Grafton he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. John then went back to the Victory II in October 1918. In January 1921 John moved onto the Enchantress and then the Coventry in March 1922. John returned to the Victory II in May 1923 and then went onto the Dolphin in June 1923. In July 1925 John moved to the Effingham before returning to the Victory II again from October 1927 to 1929. In January 1930 John transferred to the Nelson, he then moved to the Concord in September 1932, then onto the Victory II again in December 1932. In January 1933 John went onto the Winchester and then in March 1934 onto the Durham. After two years on the Durham John was placed on the Victory II again and the in October 1937 onto the Coventry again.

In February 1937 John was pensioned off by the Navy and returned home. However, as tensions in Europe rose in the late 1930s he was mobilised again on the Victory II from September 1938. He was demobilised for a second time in 1939 but was called up again almost immediately, going back to the Victory II in October 1939. In November of that year he was placed on the Danluce Castle. In 1941 he returned once more to the Victory II and then in July 1941 he was finally sent to the HMS Penelope.

The HMS Penelope was notorious for being holed by bomb fragments during the war, earning the nickname ‘HMS Pepperpot’. The ship saw major action in Malta and later around Italy. John remained on the Penelope until 1944 when the ship was sunk by a German U-boat near Naples. A torpedo struck the engine room first and a second hit the boiler room, where John would have been working. John died at sea on the 18th of February 1944.

The author C.S Forester dedicated his book ‘The Ship’ to the crew of the Penelope.

John was recorded as being 5ft 7inches with brown hair and blue/grey eyes. He had coal under the skin of his forehead and scars on the back of his hand, right wrist and scalp.

Throughout his service to the navy, his conduct was recorded as consistently superior.

After his death, his parents were recorded as living in Clowne.