Andrew Bickford
| Andrew Kennedy Bickford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
16 July 1844 Madras, India |
| Died | 9 October 1927 (aged 83) |
| Allegiance |
 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 until March 1902, when he hoisted his flag on board the first class cruiser HMS Grafton, and Warspite returned home.[3] Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1904[4] 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).[5] She was the daughter of Dr. Patrick Dore of Skibbereen who had died in 1847 from inflammation of the lung during the Irish famine.[6] 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.[7] Kathleen's mother, Catherine Power, was sister of Maurice Power, Member of Parliament for Cork 1847-1852.
Further reading
- Light Airs and Gentle Breezes - a victorian naval life Story: The Life & Times of Admiral Bickford by Richard E. Bickford (his grandson), published by Tartan Edge, 1996
References
- ↑ "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)
- 1 2 3 4 Naval & Military Museum
- ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36720). London. 20 March 1902. p. 10.
- ↑ "Royal Navy Flag Officers of the Dreadnought Era 1904-1945". Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ↑ "Marriages" (18 April 1868). Cork Examiner. Note: Notice in the paper say Kathleen was daughter of the late Dr Dore.
- ↑ "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) - ↑ 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 1900–1903 |
Succeeded by Sir James Goodrich |