| Born |
September 5, 1884
|
| Died |
October 26, 1917, Age 33
|
| Force |
Army
|
Howard Pickering was one of four UTS masters to join the Forces during WWI and the only one to be killed in action. He was born in the little village of Arkona in southwestern Ontario and taught briefly in Grimsby before entering University College in the University of Toronto in 1906 to study English and History. He was deeply involved in college life, serving as Secretary of his year and as Treasurer of the University College Literary Society in addition to participating in the Students’ Parliament and the Historical Club. He was, moreover, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honour society. After finishing his undergraduate degree in 1910, he spent a year at the Faculty of Education, earning a Master’s, before moving to New York City to earn his doctorate from the Teachers’ College at Columbia University. He then returned to Toronto, teaching at his alma mater the Faculty of Education and at UTS, where he was the Modern Languages master. He left UTS to teach at the Normal School in Stratford, Ontario, before joing the 110th Battalion in November 1915. He went overseas in 1916 and transferred to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion the next year. While leading his men in an attack at Passchendaele, he was shot and killed by a sniper, and his body was never recovered. “While yet unstained our ancient banner keeps its place of pride - let none forget how great a debt we owe to those who died.”
Attestation Papers
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