Stanley, known as Sammy, was born as Solomon Pikel in Prestwich, Lancashire on 30 January 1904. His parents Leiba (Harris) and Malka (known as Fanny) nee Klaf were born in Telšiai, Lithuania and married in 1894 in Prestwich. They had seven children of which five survived to adulthood. In 1911, Harris was working as a tailor’s machinist and the family living at 42 Pimblett Street, Manchester. Sammy’s two younger sisters, Miriam and Rosa died in 1911 and 1915, aged three and four. By 1921, the family had moved to 114 Bury New Road, Manchester and the whole family including the five children were working as tailors in the father’s business. In 1932, at the age of twenty-eight, Sammy secretly married Edith Tonge in Blackpool on 14 November. His marriage caused consternation in the family as Edith was not Jewish but they were happy and went on to have two children Michael and Julia. Sammy worked as a newspaper journalist for the Manchester Evening News and was known as the ‘A.R.P. Expert.’ In 1939, the family were living at Lamorna, Northleigh Road, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire and Sammy is listed as a journalist reporter.

Sammy enlisted on 28 May 1942 at Boyce Barracks in Aldershot and trained in England in radiotherapy before being sent to West Africa from May 1943 until 5 August 1943. He was then transferred to India until 29 May 1944 earning the Burma Star. He was then sent back to England and was discharged on 13 September 1944 after serving two years and 109 days. His military records state he was discharged for being medically unfit.

Sammy had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, thought to have been bought on by his work in radiotherapy, and had an unsuccessful operation on his thyroid. He died on 11 July 1945 at home at 44 Brooks Road, Stretford and his death certificate states: 1(a) Malignant Cachexia, (b) Carcinoma Thyroid (operated on). Family members have advised that Edith fought hard after the war to have his death recognised as being caused by the war so that she could obtain a war widow’s pension and she was ultimately successful in that endeavour.