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It has been suggested that this article be merged into [[::Francis Howard Bickerton|Francis Howard Bickerton ]]. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2013. |
Frank Bickerton | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1889 Iffley, Oxfordshire, England |
| Died |
1954 (aged 64–65) Cardigan, Wales |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Explorer and aviator |
Frank Bickerton (1889–1954) was an Antarctic explorer, and engineer, and a pioneer in the usage of aircraft and telegraphy. He also led a three man sledging team which discovered the first meteorite to be found in the Antarctic.
Life[]
Francis Howard Bickerton was born in the village of Iffley in Oxfordshire, the son of Joseph and Eliza Bickerton, his father was a Solicitor and Town Clerk.[1]
Bickerton moved to Plymouth, Devon, as a child in 1895 and lived in the city until 1920.
Bickerton was a friend of author Vita Sackville-West and was the model for the character of Leonard Anquetil in her 1930 novel, 'The Edwardians'.
Expeditions[]
Bickerton joined Sir Douglas Mawson's Australian Antarctic Expedition in 1911 as an engineer on the recommendation of the Royal Geographic Society and a member of an earlier expedition. Bickerton brought with him a Vickers REP monoplane, which he intended initially to use as a means to expedite surveying of the region. The plane was badly damaged in an early test flight, and Bickerton converted it into a tractor sledge.
On his return from the Antarctic, he was invited by Ernest Shackleton to join the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, however the onset of World War I led to Bickerton's withdrawal and his enlistment in the Royal Flying Corps. Bickerton served again during World War II in the Royal Air Force.
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1891 Census of Headington District - RG12/1166 Folio 49 Page 9 (Charley Hall, The Parks, Oxford)
Bibliography[]
- Born Adventurer: The Life of Frank Bickerton, Antarctic Pioneer Stephen Haddesley, London 2005
External links[]
The original article can be found at Frank Bickerton and the edit history here.