Date: 15/11/2010
Views: 3433
Owner: Pete Rogers (Admin)
Richard Pickover
No.3 Commando 5 troop. Photo circa 1941 courtesy of his son in law Graham Jones who adds:
"Trooper Richard (Dick)Pickover was called up to the Lancashire Fusiliers and in 1940 he volunteered for Special Service being attached to No. 3 Commando taking part in the raids on Lofoten Island and Vaagso. His weapons were anti-tank rifle and .45 colt. Dick served with No. 3 Commando 5 Troop from 1940 until his capture on 19th August 1942 at Dieppe. Dick is featured in the Time Life WWII illustrated book on the Commandos (Page 57), which shows him on the right of the picture pointing (to the coast of England). Dick told of being captured at Dieppe along with members of the US Rangers, however because of his strong accent, he was initially believed to be American and taken along with the other captured Rangers to Berlin, and was held in the Olympic stadium for interrogation. He related that he was optimistic in being repatriated along with his Ranger colleagues, however this did not last long once he was identified as English. Dick was then taken to Stalag VIII B and Landsdorf in Eastern Germany where he dug coal in the mines there and near Krakow in Poland for the remainder of the War. He was involved in the Long March finally being liberated near to Munich by the US Army. Before the outbreak of war Dick played in goal in an England (representative) football team and was on the books at Burnley. He told stories of how Dixie Dean had put several goals past him in his time."
