Frank Pickersgill
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Frank Herbert Dedrick Pickersgill (May 28, 1915 – September 14, 1944), code named Bertrand, was a Canadian agent of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's clandestine
Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
(SOE) organization in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The purpose of SOE in occupied France was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance. SOE agents allied themselves with
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Pickersgill was captured by the Germans shortly after his arrival in France, imprisoned, and later executed.


Early life

Born in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
,
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
, Pickersgill graduated from Kelvin High School in that city. Holding an English degree from the
University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...
and a Master's degree in classics from the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, Pickersgill set out to cycle across
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
in 1934, then returned to Europe in 1938 to work as a freelance journalist for several Canadian newspapers. During his travels he met
Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
, whose work he hoped to translate into English, though the oncoming war distracted him from the project. Frank Pickersgill was the younger brother of
Jack Pickersgill John Whitney Pickersgill (23 June 1905 – 14 November 1997) was a Canadian civil servant and politician. He was born in Ontario, but was raised in Manitoba. He was Clerk of the Privy Council in the early 1950s. He was first elected to fe ...
, a member of the
House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...
and a Cabinet minister.


World War II

Pickersgill spent the first two years of World War II imprisoned by the Germans in Saint-Denis
Internment Camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
(Stalag 220) as an enemy alien. He escaped by sawing out a window with a hacksaw blade smuggled into the camp in a loaf of bread. Pickersgill made his way to the American Consulate in
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, France. The United States still had diplomatic relations with
Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...
, not yet occupied by Nazi Germany. On arrival in Lyon, American diplomat Constance Ray Harvey described him as lean, hungry, and with practically no clothes. He helped the Americans write a newsletter in French describing events in the war while he waited for them to arrange an exit permit from France for him. He made his way to neutral
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
where the U.S. Embassy had a fund to help escapees from Nazi-controlled Europe.


SOE agent

Once Pickersgill was safely back in Britain, he rejected the offer of a desk job in
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
and instead received a commission in the newly created
Canadian Intelligence Corps The Canadian Intelligence Corps (C Int C) is an administrative corps of the Canadian Army (CA); it includes all CA members of the Canadian Armed Forces' Intelligence Branch. Prior to the Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, it enj ...
. Because he was fluent in
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
,
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
,
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
and especially
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
, he became an agent of the British
Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
(SOE). Together with fellow Canadian, Ken Macalister, Pickersgill was parachuted into occupied France during the night of June 15/16, 1943. Pickersgill was to be the organiser (leader) of a new SOE network called Archdeacon, to be located in northeastern France in the
Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...
. Three days prior to their scheduled arrival, French SOE agent Pierre Culioli had requested the operation be cancelled because of many German soldiers in the drop area. His SOE leader,
Francis Suttill Francis Alfred Suttill Distinguished Service Order, DSO (born, France, 17 March 1910 – executed 23 March 1945), code name Prosper, was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization in World War II. ...
, declined the request and the two Canadians parachuted into France as planned. Both men were met when they landed by Culioli and SOE agent
Yvonne Rudellat Yvonne Claire Rudellat, MBE, (née Cerneau; 11 January 1897 – 23 or 24 April 1945), code name Jacqueline, was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization in World War II. The purpose of SOE in o ...
(codename 'Jacqueline'). They stayed a few days with Rudellat and Culioli near
Romorantin Romorantin is a traditional French variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in the . It produces intense, minerally wines somewhat reminiscent of Chablis. Histor ...
to get their French identity papers in order. On June 21, Culioli and Rudellat drove the Canadians toward
Beaugency Beaugency () is a Communes of France, commune in the Loiret Departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, north-central France. It is located on the Loire river, upriver (northeast) from Blois and downriver from Orléans. History Med ...
but they were stopped at a German checkpoint in Dhuizon. The four were ordered out of the car for questioning and for their papers to be examined. Rudellat and Culioli were cleared and returned to the car but the Germans were suspicious of the Canadians, possibly because their
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
was not of native speaker quality. While they were waiting for the Canadians to be released, a German soldier ordered Culioli and Rudellat to get out of the car for more questioning. Instead, Culioli sped away, chased and shot at by Germans in another car. Rudellat was seriously wounded and they were captured when they ran into another checkpoint about 10 kilometres away. Rudellat subsequently died in
Bergen-Belsen Bergen-Belsen (), or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in Northern Germany, northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen, Lower Saxony, Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, ...
; Culioli survived the war. Revised edition. Originally purchased in 1966. Pickersgill was imprisoned for several months in Fresnes Prison near
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, then taken to a prison at Ravitsch (now
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
). In poor physical condition, he was returned to
84 Avenue Foch 84 Avenue Foch () was the Parisian headquarters of the ''Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD), the counter-intelligence branch of the SS during the German occupation of Paris in World War II. Avenue Foch is a wide residential boulevard in the 16th arr ...
, the headquarters of the
Sicherheitsdienst ' (, "Security Service"), full title ' ("Security Service of the ''Reichsführer-SS''"), or SD, was the intelligence agency of the Schutzstaffel, SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Established in 1931, the SD was the first Nazi intelligence ...
(SD), the German intelligence Service, in Paris.
Josef Kieffer Hans Josef Kieffer (4 December 1900 – 26 June 1947) was a Sturmbannführer (Major) and the head in Paris of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the intelligence agency of the SS during the German occupation of France in the Second World War. Kieffer's h ...
, the SD leader in Paris, wanted to use Pickersgill in the
funkspiel ''Funkspiel'' () was a German term most used referring to counter-intelligence operations in France against the Special Operations Executive during World War II. SOE was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and recon ...
(radio game) in which the Germans were using captured SOE radios to deceive SOE headquarters in London and capture agents and equipment on their arrival in France. Pickersgill, in May 1944, attempted to escape, attacking his guards with a broken bottle, killing one or two of them, and jumping out of a second story window, breaking an arm. A soldier fired at him. He was hit twice by bullets and recaptured. On 8 August 1944, with the allied armies advancing on Paris Pickersgill and 36 other SOE agents, including three women, were loaded onto buses, given
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
parcels containing food, and taken to the railroad station where they boarded a train for Germany. The allied armies were approaching Paris and would capture the city on 25 August. During the trip, the train was attacked and disabled by allied fighter planes, although none of the prisoners were hurt. The prisoners were loaded onto trucks and continued their journey to Neue Bremm a concentration camp near the city of
Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...
. Some of the prisoners wanted to attempt an escape, but others disagreed and forced the abandonment of the escape plan. The prisoners opposing the escape attempt harbored the thought that they would be treated as
prisoners-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
rather than spies. After a few days of brutal treatment, all 34 of the male prisoners were loaded into trucks and taken to
Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...
. The three women were sent to Ravensbrück, a camp for women. On 9 September at Buchenwald, the camp commandant received an order to give 16 of the prisoners "special treatment." At Buchenwald that meant execution by being choked to death while suspended above the floor on a meat hook. Pickersgill was among the 16 executed on or about 14 September 1944. After the war, SOE's
Vera Atkins Vera May Atkins (15 June 1908 – 24 June 2000) was a Romanian-born British intelligence officer who worked in the France Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War. Early life Atkins was ...
interviewed Kieffer who named Pickersgill as one of three captured SOE agents who successfully resisted all German efforts to obtain information from them. The two other successful resistors he named were
Noor Inayat Khan Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, GC (1 January 1914 – 13 September 1944), also known as Nora Inayat-Khan and Nora Baker, was a British resistance agent in France in the Second World War who served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The purpo ...
and
France Antelme Major Joseph Antoine France Antelme OBE (12 March 1900 – 1944), no. 239255, was one of 14 Franco-Mauritians who served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a World War II British secret service that sent espionage agents, saboteurs and guer ...
. Posthumously, the government of France awarded Pickersgill the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
, and he is listed as one of the SOE agents who died for the liberation of France on the "Roll of Honour" on the
Valençay SOE Memorial The Valençay SOE Memorial is a monument in France to the members of the Special Operations Executive F Section who died working to liberate the country during World War II. The memorial was unveiled in the town of Valençay, in the Departments o ...
in
Valençay Valençay () is a commune in the Indre department in the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography Valençay is situated in the Loire Valley. It sits at the end of a plateau. on a hillside overlooking the River Nahon. Va ...
in the département of the
Indre Indre (); is a department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administrative region of Cent ...
. He is commemorated by an obelisk at
Romorantin-Lanthenay Romorantin-Lanthenay (), commonly known as Romorantin, is a commune and town in the Loir-et-Cher department, administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the capital city of the natural region of Sologne. History The current c ...
, where he is one of 4 members of SOE to be listed. He is also honoured on the Groesbeek Memorial in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. The
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
designated a Pickersgill-Macalister Garden on the west side of the "Soldiers' Tower" monument, but later the plot was rededicated "in memory of those tho gave their lives for peace and freedom", though there is still a plaque saying that it was originally dedicated to Macalister and Pickersgill.


Further reading

* ''The Pickersgill Letters'', written by Pickersgill during the period 1934-43, was published by George H. Ford in 1948. The book was republished in 1978 by McClelland & Stewart in an expanded edition under the title ''The Making of a Secret Agent: Letters of 1934-1943''. * In 2004, two of his letters sent to his family from Central Europe in 1939 were published by Charlotte Gray in ''Canada: A Portrait in Letters''. * His story and that of Ken Macalister were retold in ''Unlikely Soldiers: How Two Canadians Fought the Secret War Against Nazi Occupation'', by Jonathan Vance (HarperCollins, 2008). This book used material recently made available from SOE files to tell a more complete story of their endeavours than had previously been possible.


Notes


External links


CWGC: Frank Herbert Dedrick Pickersgill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickersgill, Frank 1915 births 1944 deaths Executed spies Canadian recipients of the Legion of Honour Canadian people who died in Buchenwald concentration camp Special Operations Executive personnel killed in World War II Spies who died in Nazi concentration camps University of Toronto alumni University of Manitoba alumni Canadian escapees Canadian military personnel killed in World War II Canadian people executed in Nazi concentration camps Canadian Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Winnipeg People interned during World War II Canadian Army officers Canadian Intelligence Corps officers