Frank Pickersgill

Captain Frank Pickersgill

Frank Herbert Dedrick Pickersgill (May 28, 1915 – September 14, 1944) was a Canadian Special Operations Executive agent.

Biography

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Pickersgill graduated from Kelvin High School in that city. Holding an English degree from the University of Manitoba and a Master's degree in classics from the University of Toronto, Pickersgill set out to cycle across Europe in 1934, then returned to Europe in 1938 to work as a freelance journalist for several Canadian newspapers. During his travels he met Jean-Paul Sartre, whose work he hoped to translate into English, though the oncoming war distracted him from the project.

Pickersgill served the first two years of the war in Saint-Denis Internment Camp (Stalag 220) as an enemy alien. He escaped by sawing out a window with a hacksaw blade smuggled into the camp in a loaf of bread.

Once he was safely back in Britain, he rejected the offer of a desk job in Ottawa and instead received a commission in the newly created Canadian Intelligence Corps. Because he was fluent in German, Latin, Greek and especially French, he worked in close contact with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). Along with a fellow Canadian, John Kenneth Macalister, he was parachuted into the Loire Valley in occupied France on June 15, 1943, to work with the French Resistance.[1] Both men were picked up by the SOE agent Yvonne Rudellat (codename 'Jacqueline') and the French officer Pierre Culioli. Their vehicle stopped at a German checkpoint in Dhuizon, and after Rudellat and Culioli were cleared they decided to wait for the two Canadians to come through. Minutes later, however, the Canadians' cover was blown and Culioli tried to speed away but he and Rudellat were captured when they ran into another checkpoint about 10 kilometres away. Rudellat subsequently died in Bergen-Belsen; Culioli survived the war.[2]

In March 1944, Pickersgill tried to escape from SD headquarters at 84 Avenue Foch. He attacked a guard with a bottle and threw himself out of a second-storey window. He was shot several times and recaptured.[3] He was then interned with other agents in a camp at Ravitsch, 25 miles North of Breslau.

On August 27, 1944, he was shipped with members of the Robert Benoist group to Buchenwald concentration camp, where he was executed on September 14, along with 35 other SOE agents, including two other Canadians, Roméo Sabourin and John Kenneth Macalister. Though there are conflicting reports about their deaths, the men are thought to have been hung on meat hooks and strangled with piano wire.[4] Their bodies were incinerated.

After the war, SOE's Vera Atkins interviewed Josef Kiefer, former head of the German SD in Paris. Kiefer named Pickersgill as one of three SOE agents he knew who successfully resisted all German efforts to obtain information from them. Two other successful resistors he named were Noor Inayat Khan and France Antelme.[5]

Posthumously, the government of France awarded Pickersgill the Legion of Honour, and he is listed as one of the SOE agents who died for the liberation of France on the "Roll of Honour" on the Valençay SOE Memorial in Valençay in the département of the Indre. He is commemorated by an obelisk at Romorantin-Lanthenay, where he is one of 4 members of SOE to be listed.[6] He is also honoured on the Groesbeek Memorial in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands. The University of Toronto designated a Pickersgill-Macalister Garden on the west side of the "Soldiers' Tower" monument, but later the plot was rededicated "in memory of those tho gave their lives for peace and freedom", though there is still a plaque saying that it was originally dedicated to Macalister and Pickersgill.

Frank Pickersgill was the younger brother of Jack Pickersgill, a member of the House of Commons of Canada and a Cabinet minister.

Further reading

  • The Pickersgill Letters, written by Pickersgill during the period 1934-43, was published by George H. Ford in 1948. The book was republished in 1978 by McClelland & Stewart in an expanded edition under the title The Making of a Secret Agent: Letters of 1934-1943.
    • In 2004, two of his letters sent to his family from Central Europe in 1939 were published by Charlotte Gray in Canada: A Portrait in Letters.
  • His story and that of Ken Macalister were retold in Unlikely Soldiers: How Two Canadians Fought the Secret War Against Nazi Occupation, by Jonathan Vance (HarperCollins, 2008). This book used material recently made available from SOE files to tell a more complete story of their endeavours than had previously been possible.

Notes

  1. ^ Scott, Alec (2007). "Behind Enemy Lines". University of Toronto. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  2. ^ King, Stella, 'Jacqueline', Pioneer Heroine of the Resistance, Arms and Armour Press, 1989, pp 313-316
  3. ^ King, p 345
  4. ^ King, p 395
  5. ^ Helm, Sarah (2005). A Life in Secrets. London: Little, Brown. pp. 346–361. ISBN 0316724971.
  6. ^ King, p 411

Read other articles:

Kue adremNama lainTolpitTempat asalIndonesiaDaerahBantul, YogyakartaSunting kotak info • L • BBantuan penggunaan templat ini  Media: Kue adrem Adrem atau disebut juga tolpit (lakuran dari kontol kejepit[1]) adalah salah satu makanan ringan traditional khas Bantul. Makanan ini terbuat dari bahan baku utama tepung beras dan gula jawa yang digoreng. Adrem banyak diproduksi di daerah Sanden dan dapat ditemukan di pasar-pasar tradisional di Bantul dan sekitarnya.[...

 

Artikel ini sebatang kara, artinya tidak ada artikel lain yang memiliki pranala balik ke halaman ini.Bantulah menambah pranala ke artikel ini dari artikel yang berhubungan atau coba peralatan pencari pranala.Tag ini diberikan pada November 2022. Elżbieta KępińskaElzbieta Kepinska, 1967Lahir5 April 1937 (umur 86)Częstochowa, PolandiaPekerjaanPemeranTahun aktif1960-kini Elżbieta Kępińska (lahir 5 April 1937) adalah seorang pemeran film asal Polandia.[1] Ia tampil dalam ...

 

Departemen Propaganda Komite Pusat Partai Komunis Tiongkok中国共产党中央委员会宣传部SingkatanZhongxuanbu (中宣部, Departemen Propaganda Pusat)Tanggal pendirian1921TipeLangsung melapor kepada Komite Pusat Partai Komunis TiongkokKantor pusatAdimarga Chang'an 5, Distrik Xicheng, BeijingLokasiBeijingKoordinat39°55′26″N 116°23′55″E / 39.92389°N 116.39861°E / 39.92389; 116.39861Koordinat: 39°55′26″N 116°23′55″E / 39.92389...

Perangkat audio, salah satu contoh elektronik konsumen. An Iraqi National Police officer use DC angd DV Elektronik konsumen (Inggris: consumer electronics, disingkat CE) adalah alat elektronik yang ditujukan untuk penggunaan sehari-hari dan dapat digunakan untuk hiburan, komunikasi, serta bisnis. Penyiaran radio pada awal abad ke-20 menciptakan produk konsumen terbesar pada saat itu, yaitu penerima siaran radio. Produk selanjutnya yang termasuk dalam elektronik konsumen adalah komputer pr...

 

ConnaughtNama resmiConnaught EngineeringKantor pusatSend, Surrey, United KingdomPendiriRodney Clarke Mike OliverStaf terkenalKenneth McAlpinePembalap terkenalStuart Lewis-EvansStirling MossSejarah dalam ajang Formula SatuGelar Konstruktor0Gelar Pembalap0Jumlah lomba18Menang0Posisi pole0Putaran tercepat0Lomba pertamaGrand Prix Inggris 1952Lomba terakhirGrand Prix Amerika Serikat 1959 Connaught Engineering merupakan sebuah tim dan konstruktor Formula Satu asal Inggris. Mereka berpartisipasi dal...

 

Alpha-cleavage (α-cleavage) in organic chemistry refers to the act of breaking the carbon-carbon bond[1] adjacent to the carbon bearing a specified functional group.[2] Mass spectrometry Generally this topic is discussed when covering tandem mass spectrometry fragmentation and occurs generally by the same mechanisms.[3][4] For example, of a mechanism of alpha-cleavage, an electron is knocked off an atom (usually by electron collision) to form a radical cation....

Head of the Catholic Church from 1187 to 1191 Not to be confused with Antipope Clement III. PopeClement IIIBishop of Rome13th century miniature of Pope Clement III from the Speculum GrandimontisChurchCatholic ChurchPapacy began19 December 1187Papacy ended20 March 1191PredecessorGregory VIIISuccessorCelestine IIIOrdersCreated cardinalMarch 1179by Alexander IIIPersonal detailsBornPaulino/Paolo Scolari1130Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman EmpireDied20 March 1191(1191-03-20) (aged 60–61)[...

 

Franck PourcelBorn(1913-08-14)14 August 1913Marseille, FranceDied12 November 2000(2000-11-12) (aged 87)Neuilly-Sur-Seine, FranceEducationConservatoire de ParisOccupationsComposerarrangerconductorYears active1952–1995Notable work1956 until 1972 French Conductor for Eurovision Song ContestConductor of London Symphonic OrchestraBBC OrchestraMusical careerGenresClassical music, popular music, easy listeningInstrument(s)ConductorLabelsPathe-Marconi, EMI Musical artist Franck Pourcel (...

 

2016年美國總統選舉 ← 2012 2016年11月8日 2020 → 538個選舉人團席位獲勝需270票民意調查投票率55.7%[1][2] ▲ 0.8 %   获提名人 唐納·川普 希拉莉·克林頓 政党 共和黨 民主党 家鄉州 紐約州 紐約州 竞选搭档 迈克·彭斯 蒂姆·凱恩 选举人票 304[3][4][註 1] 227[5] 胜出州/省 30 + 緬-2 20 + DC 民選得票 62,984,828[6] 65,853,514[6]...

British pre-grouping railway company (1844–1922) This article is about the historical British railway company. For the heritage railway on one of its former routes, see Midland Railway – Butterley. For other uses, see Midland Railway (disambiguation). Midland RailwayThe Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras station, the London terminus of the Midland Railway in June 2012OverviewHeadquartersDerbyLocaleEngland and WalesDates of operation10 May 1844–31 December 1922PredecessorMidland Count...

 

Group of diseases involving cell growth This article is about the group of diseases. For other uses, see Cancer (disambiguation). This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Medical conditionCancerOther namesMalignant tumor, malignant neoplasmA coronal CT scan showi...

 

City in California, United States City in California in the United StatesTurlock, CaliforniaCity in CaliforniaMain Street in TurlockLocation in Stanislaus County and the U.S. state of CaliforniaTurlock, CaliforniaLocation in the United StatesCoordinates: 37°30′21″N 120°50′56″W / 37.50583°N 120.84889°W / 37.50583; -120.84889CountryUnited StatesStateCaliforniaCountyStanislausIncorporatedFebruary 15, 1908[1]Government • TypeCouncil–manage...

American gridiron football player (born 1937) Bob PtacekNo. 14Ptacek in 1958 against IllinoisBorn: (1937-04-23) April 23, 1937 (age 87)Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.Career informationCFL statusAmericanPosition(s)QB, DB, LBHeight6 ft 1 in (185 cm)Weight205 lb (93 kg)CollegeMichiganNFL draft1959, Round: 8, Pick: 87Drafted byCleveland BrownsCareer historyAs player1959Cleveland Browns1960–1965Saskatchewan Roughriders Career highlights and award...

 

Katedral Kildare. Untuk kegunaan lain, lihat Kildare. Kildare (bahasa Irlandia: Cill Dara) ialah sebuah kota di County Kildare, Republik Irlandia. Meskipun nama kota ini sama dengan nama county, tetapi pusat administrasi county ada di Naas. Kildare terletak di bagian tengah county, di barat Dublin. Banyak penduduk Kildare yang bolak-balik ke ibu kota. County ini dikenal akan kudanya dan di Kildare terdapat Irish National Stud. Banyak wilayah pedesaan di kota ini digunakan untuk pemeliharaan k...

 

Serbian singer and songwriter Sanja VučićСања ВучићVučić in 2016Background informationBorn (1993-08-08) 8 August 1993 (age 31)Kruševac, Serbia, FR YugoslaviaGenresR&Bpopelectronicskadubpost-rockjazzOccupation(s)SingersongwriterInstrumentVocalsLabelsLil WolfFormerly ofZAAHurricaneMusical artist Sanja Vučić (Serbian Cyrillic: Сања Вучић, pronounced [sâɲa vûtʃitɕ]; born 8 August 1993) is a Serbian singer and songwriter. Initially the lead vocalist o...

Disambiguazione – Se stai cercando il significato generale, vedi vicario. Nell'Impero romano il vicarius era, a partire dalla riforma di Diocleziano (III secolo), l'alto funzionario al quale era affidata l'amministrazione civile (non militare, separata da quella civile con la riforma dioclezianea) di una diocesi (il titolo completo era praetor vicarius). Aveva la funzione anche di sostituto del prefetto del pretorio. Tale carica non ebbe grande successo, perché già nel V e VI secolo esis...

 

Grube Weiß Allgemeine Informationen zum Bergwerk Grube Weiß bei Bensberg (1909) Andere Namen Ravesack Informationen zum Bergwerksunternehmen Betriebsbeginn 1852 Betriebsende 1957 Geförderte Rohstoffe Abbau von Zinkblende, Bleiglanz Geographische Lage Koordinaten 50° 57′ 53,9″ N, 7° 11′ 26,6″ O50.9649597.190726Koordinaten: 50° 57′ 53,9″ N, 7° 11′ 26,6″ O Grube Weiß (Nordrhein-Westfalen) Lage Grube Weiß Stando...

 

Perang Denmark-Swedia (1658–60)Bagian dari Perang Utara KeduaKopenhagen, 11 Februari 1659Tanggal5 Agustus 1658 – 26 Mei 1660LokasiDenmark, NorwegiaHasil Kemenangan Denmark-NorwegiaPerubahanwilayah Perjanjian Kopenhagen; Bornholm dan Trøndelag dikembalikan kepada Denmark-Norwegia. Batas politik Denmark dan Swedia ditetapkan.Pihak terlibat  Swedia Denmark–Norwegia Republik Belanda Brandenburg-Prusia Persemakmuran Polandia-LituaniaTokoh dan pemimpin Karl X Gustav Karl Gustaf Wra...

Category-theoretic construction This article is about coproducts in categories. For coproduct in the sense of comultiplication, see Coalgebra. For additional substances that result from the manufacturing of another product, see by-product. In category theory, the coproduct, or categorical sum, is a construction which includes as examples the disjoint union of sets and of topological spaces, the free product of groups, and the direct sum of modules and vector spaces. The coproduct of a family ...

 

Portrait of Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Wanfried, Princess Consort of Transylvania Princess Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Wanfried (8 March 1679 in Wanfried – 18 February 1722 in Paris) was a Princess consort of Transylvania as the wife of Francis II Rákóczi. She was born the daughter of Charles, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried, ruler of Hesse-Wanfried and his second wife, Countess Alexandrine Juliane of Leiningen-Dagsburg (1651-1703).[1][2][3] References ^ Strauss, Reinhold...