Royal Garrison Artillery, Service no. 8223
Born: 2nd August 1892. Died: 1942.
Story
Moses was the son of Fred Pickard and Emily Rhodes. His brother Fenton passed away a few months before he was born, and his father passed away in 1899. Moses’s mother Emily re-married Henry Fowler in 1901, and they lived at Pease Fold Kippax in 1911, before moving to Bland’s Cottages, Kippax. At this time, Moses was a colliery labourer, but he then served in the Navy before the War, as a seaman on HMS Victory II between 24th March 1914 and 16th May 1914. He was given an “approved discharged by purchase for £5 as a special case. £5 paid by Mr. H. Fowler, Bland’s Cottages, Kippax.” However Moses re-enlisted for the Royal Garrison Artillery as a gunner on 11th December 1915. He was 5 ft 8 inches tall, was working as a banksman at the colliery, and had tattoos on both forearms. Moses spent 13 days in hospital with a wounded finger, and was discharged on 3rd June 1916 as he had weak bones, which meant he could not walk long distances. After leaving the Army, in June 1928, he married Lily Nicholson of Cornwall Square, Green Road, Leeds, and they had a child together. Lily however had already married Charles Jagger, a miner from Quarry Hill in 1922, and whilst they had separated in 1927, they had never legally divorced. Charles Jagger himself had re-married a young woman at Leeds Registry office in September 1929, and both Charles and Lily were found guilty of Bigamy on Friday 15th November 1929 in Leeds. Moses re-married on 12th March 1932 to Sarah Hill, whilst they were living together at 18 Bath Road, and Moses died at Leeds Infirmary at the age of 50, whilst living at 6 Barrister-Street, Leeds. His estate of £33 8s 2d was administered by his sister Phoebe, husband of Peter Plows.
Below: 8-inch howitzers of 135th Siege Battery at La Houssoye on the Somme, 25 August 1916
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