Pte
Albert Pickavance
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 23/05/1892 |
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Place of birth: St. Helens, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Farrier - Shoeing Smith |
Army information
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Country: Canada |
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Force: Canadian Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 67373 |
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Enlistment date: 17/11/1914 |
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Enlistment place: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
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Units: — Canadian Infantry, 25th Bn. (Nova Scotia Rifles) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 08/11/1917 |
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Place of death: Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 25 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XIV Row: C Grave: 19 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Albert Pickavance was born on the 23rd of May 1892 in St Helens, Lancashire. In 1912, Albert, at the age of 20, immigrated to Canada. According to his immigration papers he was traveling to his brother-in-law, who lived in Berwick, Nova Scotia, where he would work as a blacksmith.
On 16 November 1914 Albert enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Albert eventually served in the 25th Battalion Canadian Infantry (Nova Scotia Rifles) and was send to France and Flanders. On the 25th of June 1916 he was wounded in his right leg and was send to hospital, where he remained for several months. Albert recovered and his Battalion moved early November 1917 to the Ypres sector in Flanders, where the Canadians were to relieve the exhausted Anzac troops for the final push on the Passchendaele heights.
The 25th Battalion moved to the frontline on 5 November 1917. They arrived at Seine, without casualties and dug in for the night. In the early hours of 6 November 1917 the men witnessed at first hand, the attack on the ruins of Passchendaele. German shells landed among the 25th battalion’s positions, but casualties were slight. The shelling continued till the next morning. At 5.20 a.m. S.O.S. flares were fired from the frontline and the allied artillery responded. In the meantime the German artillery laid down a heavy barrage on the slope in front of Seine.
At night Albert’s Battalion relieved the 26th Battalion (New Brunswick) in the frontline, running through Passchendaele itself. Battalion headquarters were established at Hamburg. The line they took over was nothing more than a series of disconnected shell holes. And the men worked the whole nigh to connect the posts. Throughout the 8th of November the positions of the Nova Scotia Rifles were heavily shelled. After a night and a day under heavy fire, the 25th Battalion was relieved from the frontline and marched back to the hinterland.
Twenty-five-year-old Albert Pickavance was killed in action on 8 November 1917, while his Battalion was holding the line at the ruins of Passchendaele. Albert was initially buried near the Passchendaele church. His remains were interred in Tyne Cot Cemetery after the war.
On 16 November 1914 Albert enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Albert eventually served in the 25th Battalion Canadian Infantry (Nova Scotia Rifles) and was send to France and Flanders. On the 25th of June 1916 he was wounded in his right leg and was send to hospital, where he remained for several months. Albert recovered and his Battalion moved early November 1917 to the Ypres sector in Flanders, where the Canadians were to relieve the exhausted Anzac troops for the final push on the Passchendaele heights.
The 25th Battalion moved to the frontline on 5 November 1917. They arrived at Seine, without casualties and dug in for the night. In the early hours of 6 November 1917 the men witnessed at first hand, the attack on the ruins of Passchendaele. German shells landed among the 25th battalion’s positions, but casualties were slight. The shelling continued till the next morning. At 5.20 a.m. S.O.S. flares were fired from the frontline and the allied artillery responded. In the meantime the German artillery laid down a heavy barrage on the slope in front of Seine.
At night Albert’s Battalion relieved the 26th Battalion (New Brunswick) in the frontline, running through Passchendaele itself. Battalion headquarters were established at Hamburg. The line they took over was nothing more than a series of disconnected shell holes. And the men worked the whole nigh to connect the posts. Throughout the 8th of November the positions of the Nova Scotia Rifles were heavily shelled. After a night and a day under heavy fire, the 25th Battalion was relieved from the frontline and marched back to the hinterland.
Twenty-five-year-old Albert Pickavance was killed in action on 8 November 1917, while his Battalion was holding the line at the ruins of Passchendaele. Albert was initially buried near the Passchendaele church. His remains were interred in Tyne Cot Cemetery after the war.
Sources 5
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Circumstances of Death http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/mass-digitized-archives/circumstances-death-registers/Pages/circumstances-death-registers.aspx Sources used |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/461450/pickavance,-/ Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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War Diary Canadian Infantry, 25th Bn. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search/arch Sources used |
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War Graves Registers http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/mass-digitized-archives/commonwealth-war-graves-registers/pages/commonwealth-war-graves-registers.aspx Sources used |