Group Captain Percy Charles "Pick" Pickard

[liverpool annie]

My friend was telling me today that her Dad knew "Pick" very well .... so I thought I'd look for him ..... my goodness what a life he led !!

In Memory of
Group Captain PERCY CHARLES PICKARD
D S O and 2 Bars, D F C, Mentioned in Despatches
39392, Cdg. 140 Wing., Royal Air Force
who died
on 18 February 1944
Son of Percy and Jenny Pickard; husband of Dorothy Pickard, of Highlands, Southern Rhodesia.
Remembered with honour
ST. PIERRE CEMETERY, AMIENS

Group Captain Percy Charles "Pick" Pickard DSO & Two Bars, DFC, (16 May 1915 - 18 February 1944) was a British bomber pilot and commander during World War II. He is best remembered by the public for his role in the 1941 wartime propaganda film Target for Tonight in which he featured as the pilot of 'F for Freddie' – a Wellington bomber of No. 149 Squadron.

Percy Charles Pickard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Percy Charles Pickard (1915 - 1944) - Find A Grave Memorial

Target for Tonight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

During World War II, Operation Biting (also known as the Bruneval Raid) was a successful Combined Operations raid to capture components of a German Würzburg radar set at Bruneval, France, on 27/28 February, 1942.
British scientists, led by R.V. Jones, needed to find out more about Würzburg radar so that they could come up with countermeasures in their ongoing battle of the beams with German scientists. Jones thought that the Germans might locate Würzburg radars at the same sites as Freya radar, so he requested aerial reconnaissance of known Freya sites. On 22 November 1941, a reconnaissance Spitfire took photographs of a Freya radar site in the grounds of a cliff top hotel at Bruneval, a village on the French coast, a few dozen miles [1] from Le Havre, which contained unknown structures. On 5 December, a low-level reconnaissance flight by Tony Hill took very clear front and side pictures of the Würzburg radar with a person in the frame, which allowed the size of the radar dish (about 3 meters (10 feet) in diameter) to be assessed.
R.V. Jones judged that it was probably a Würzburg installation, so Combined Operations, which was under the command of Lord Louis Mountbatten, looked at the feasibility of a raid. A plan was drawn up to use a team to carry out a raid drawn from the recently trained paratroopers of 1st Parachute Brigade. A RAF radar operator, Flight Sergeant Charles W.H. Cox, would accompany them, and they would photograph the radar in detail and carry off whatever components they could.
On 27 February 1942, the raiding party of 116 men from B & C Companies, 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment led by Major John Frost, took off from RAF Thruxton and was dropped on Bruneval from twelve Whitley V bombers of 51 Sqn RAF led by Squadron Commander Wg Cdr P. C. Pickard. The raid met considerable enemy resistance but they were able to photograph the installation, rip out some of the key electronics, and capture a Würzburg technician. As planned, they then retreated from the cliff tops down onto a beach where their naval evacuation was covered by men drawn from units of V Corps providing protection during the naval evacuation stage. It was later discovered that the Royal Navy flotilla had been playing 'cat-and-mouse' with a German force of a Destroyer and E-boats who passed within a mile of the landing. The British losses were two killed, six wounded and six captured on the night itself. Two signallers were captured 9 days later trying to reach Switzerland. Five Germans were killed and two taken prisoner, including the technician.

Operation Biting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Adrian Roberts]

A skilled and versatile pilot and commander.

I was struck by his photo: does he look just 28? You can see this with many photos of the time. Did people age faster then, or was it the war?

[liverpool annie]

Originally Posted by Adrian Roberts

A skilled and versatile pilot and commander.

I was struck by his photo: does he look just 28? You can see this with many photos of the time. Did people age faster then, or was it the war?

I think it's the hat Adrian .... it doesn't suit everybody !!

But yes you're right ! ... young men really grew up fast then !

[Kyt]

I've been meaning to get holdof this book for some time. Thanks for the reminder Annie:

Amazon.co.uk: Wings of Night: Secret Missions of Group Captain Pickard, DSO and Two Bars, DFC: Alexander Hamilton: Books

[Antipodean Andy]

Yeah, thanks, Annie, you've made Kyt mention a book I've never heard of. Sigh, up goes the wish list.

Mind you, I am always amazed at the seemingly never ending "supply" of incredible people and their exploits. Long may we continue to be fascinated!