A REMARKABLE life journey which began on a farm near Rand before taking to the skies over Europe in World War II as part of RAF Bomber Command in his early 20s was celebrated at a funeral at Barham on Friday.
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He rose through the ranks from flight sergeant to squadron leader in less than three years due in no small part to his skill in the air, but also the high number of Bomber Command officers killed in action.
Mr Pickles' late brother Bill established Albury-based crane hire business, W.A. Pickles.
In a 2013 interview with Janet Mathewson from the Deniliquin Creative Writers Group, Mr Pickles recounted his experiences in World War II.
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"The Jerries could sit off with their cannons at 800 yards and just pick you off," he recalled.
"You'd just see this little bit of tracer across the sky and the little flame about two-thirds of the way along the aircraft and the next thing, you'd see it going down in flames.
"You always wondered if you would be next, and it was fear and adrenaline that kept you going.
"The brain became cold and analytical, and you simply kept doing what you did best, flying your bomber to the next target, or doing your best to get yourself and your crew home safely and in one piece."
The Lancaster was among the aircraft used by Bomber Command with the standard crew being seven men, pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer, wireless operator and mid-upper and rear gunners.
"Lancaster bomber crews were highly vulnerable to fighter attack, search lights and anti-aircraft fire as most missions were flown at night without navigation lights and collisions with other Lancaster's and the threat of falling debris were constant hazards," he said.
In 2012, Mr Pickles returned to England to witness Queen Elizabeth unveil the latest memorial to Bomber Command, which was made up of men and women from the UK and allied nations.
The citation on his second Distinguished Flying Cross awarded at the end of World War II noted his "zest, enthusiasm and determination for operational flying displayed during the worst winter weather, and in the face of the enemy's heaviest defences".
His first Distinguished Flying Cross resulted from a flight over Hamburg in the summer of 1943.
After two crew members were killed and another seriously injured when attacked, Mr Pickles and remaining crew were able to defend the aircraft and safely return to England.