William Greenwood Pickard was born on 28th December 1888 at Pannal, one of five children born to Isaac and Elizabeth Ann Pickard. In 1911, he was a 22-year-old farm labourer living with his parents and two sisters at Church Square in Pannal. He married Miriam Watkinson, also of Pannal, in 1915; their daughter, Olive May, was born in April 1916.
William was called up on 29th or 30th March 1917 and was posted to the West Yorkshire Regiment, later joining C Company of the regiment's 1/7th Battalion (Leeds Rifles) on the Western Front.
The second German offensive of 1918 on the Western Front opened on 9th April. Two days later, the Leeds Rifles were ordered into the line at Ypres. The battalion war diary records its movements over the following days:
[At 4.54pm on 11th April] the battalion received orders to move into the line immediately to form a defensive flank south of WYTSCHAETE. D and C companies formed a defensive flank in O.19.c. and O.25.a. (Sheet 28). A and B companies and battalion headquarters moved to REGENTS DUGOUTS at N.29.c.4.4. — C.O. to WYTSCHAETE.
[At 2.10am on 12th April] A and B companies moved to positions in O.25.a. - O.19.c. - N.24.d. - N.30.a, b and c.
[At 6.30am] all companies in new positions.
[On 13th April] nothing to report.
[At 5am on 14th April] battalion headquarters moved to IRISH HOUSE (ALBERTA DUG-OUTS - N.23.d.2.8.)
[At 10pm on 15th April] D Company relieved by 1st Lincoln Regiment and moved into positions in N.30.
[At 4.30am on 16th April] heavy barrage opened and enemy ATTACKED.
Although the battalion war diary gives no detail of the action fought on 16th April, a report written four days later by Brigadier General George Gater, commanding 62nd Infantry Brigade, described how the battalion - deprived of the full use of its fire power by mist - had encountered the full force of the enemy attack on an extended front and had fought most gallantly until overwhelmed by superior numbers.
William was one of many from the battalion reported as missing on 16th April 1918, and he was later presumed to have been killed on that day. His body was never identified, and he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
[Note: trench map coordinates can be located on a modern map using the excellent tmapper resource.]