Andrew Bickford

Andrew Kennedy Bickford
Born 16 July 1844
Madras, India
Died 9 October 1927 (1927-10-10) (aged 83)
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Navy
Rank Admiral
Commands held HMS Thalia
Pacific Station
Battles/wars Anglo-Egyptian War
Awards Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George

Admiral Andrew Kennedy Bickford CMG (16 July 1844 9 October 1927) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station.

Early life

Bickford was educated at the South Devon Collegiate School and Stubbington House School[1]

Naval career

Bickford joined the Royal Navy in 1858 and took part in the action involving the Huáscar in 1877.[2] He commanded HMS Thalia during the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882 and became Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station in 1900.[2] His flagship in the Pacific was HMS Warspite. Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1904[3] and to full Admiral in 1908, he retired later that year.[2]

Legacy

The Bickford Tower erected at Esquimalt, British Columbia for signalling purposes in 1901 is called after him.[2]

Family

Bickford married Kathleen Dore on the 16 April 1868 in the parish church of Queenstown (Cobh).[4] She was the daughter of Dr. Patrick Dore of Skibbereen who had died in 1847 from inflammation of the lung during the Irish famine.[5] The mortality rate amongst physicians in Ireland at this time was in the order of 25%, due to the outbreak of deadly infectious diseases contracted by many of the weakened famine victims.[6] Kathleen's mother, Catherine Power, was sister of Maurice Power, Member of Parliament for Cork 1847-1852.

Further reading

References

  1. "BICKFORD, Admiral Andrew Kennedy". Who Was Who. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press. December 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2012.(subscription required)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Naval & Military Museum
  3. "Royal Navy Flag Officers of the Dreadnought Era 1904-1945". Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  4. "Marriages" (18 April 1868). Cork Examiner. Note: Notice in the paper say Kathleen was daughter of the late Dr Dore.
  5. "Deaths". Cork Examiner. 1 Feb 1847. Note: In his book Light Airs and Gentle Breezes, Richard F. Bickford, gives date of Dr Dore's death as being much later. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. Cormac Ó Gráda, University College Dublin. "Ireland’s Great Famine". Economic History Association. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Lewis Beaumont
Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station
19001903
Succeeded by
Sir James Goodrich
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