THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT

PICKARD Arthur Frederick

Lieutenant, Royal Regiment of Artillery

CITATION

Victoria Cross

Rangiriri, New Zealand, 20 November 1863,

For gallant conduct during the assault of the Rangiriri Redoubt (Rangiriri Pa, Waikato),on 20th November 1863 in exposing their lives to imminent

danger in crossing the entrance to the Maori Keep at a point upon which the enemy had concentrated their fire, with a view to render assistance to

the wounded, and more especially to the late Captain MERCER of the Royal Artillery. Lieutenant PICKARD crossed and recrossed the parapet to

procure water for the wounded, when none of the men could be induced to perform this service, the space over which he traversed being exposed to

a cross-fire, and testimony is borne to the coolness displayed by him and Assistant-Surgeon TEMPLE under the trying circumstances to which the

were exposed. [London Gazette, 22 September 1864].

KNOWN AWARDS

Victoria Cross

Companion of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath ( CB )

New Zealand Medal (1860-1866)

Knight - Order of Leopold (Austria)

Commander - Order of Saint Stanislas (Russia).

Colonel Aurthur PICKARD's VC group was held in the Daryl Hicks Collection "Ati Awa Museum", at Waitara, Taranaki, New Zealand for many years. After Mr Hick's death this group of medals was sold at auction on 1st August 2002, in New Zealand. Included in the sale, carried out by Dunbar Sloane of Wellington, was the Arthur Pickard Victoria Cross medal group which realised $NZ 190.000 ( £56,630 sterling) hammer price. The Group was purchased on behalf of the Michael Ashcroft Trust, the holding institution for Lord Ashcroft's VC Collection.

NOTES

Lieutenant Arthur Frederick PICKARD, VC was born at Forest Hill, Northamptonshire, England on the 12th of April 1844.

Arthur Frederick PICKARD, VC was later promoted to the rank of Colonel and created a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He was appointed Equerry to the Duke of Connaught and later to Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

He contracted tuberculosis and died in Cannes, France, on the 1st of March 1880. He was aged 35. He is buried in the Cimetière du Grand Jas de Cannes Cannes, France.