George Frederick Pickard was born in 1898 at Barrowby, one of six children born to Michael and Emily Pickard. The 1911 Census records George as an 12-year-old schoolboy, living on the family farm at Barrowby Grange with his parents and three of his siblings.
George was called up for army service on 29th May 1918 and posted to the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment). After joining the British Expeditionary Force in France, George was transferred to the 1st Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (K.O.Y.L.I.).
1st K.O.Y.L.I. fought its final actions of the war on 7th and 8th November 1918 when it attacked towards the village of Dourlers, east of the Sambre River. The advance on the 7th was held up by strong resistance some 1,000 yards short of the objective. The attack was resumed at 7.30am on the 8th and succeeded in reaching the objective two hours' later despite encountering heavy enemy machine-gun fire. The battalion fought off a counter-attack and held the position under heavy shell fire until relieved in the mid-afternoon. Among those killed in action with 1st K.O.Y.L.I. on 8th November, three days before the Armistice, was George Pickard.
George Frederick Pickard is buried in Dourlers Communal Cemetery Extension.