Gerard_William_Tickle
Gerard William Tickle (2 November 1909 – 14 September 1994) was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of the Forces from 1963 to 1978.[1]
Born in Birkenhead in 1909, he was educated at Douai School and ordained to the priesthood on 28 October 1934. He served as Vice-Rector of the English College, Rome 1946-52 and Rector 1952-63.[2] He was appointed the Bishop of the Forces and Titular Bishop of Bela by the Holy See on 12 October 1963. His consecration to the Episcopate took place on 1 December 1963, the principal consecrator was Cardinal William Theodore Heard, and the principal co-consecrators were Cardinal John Carmel Heenan and Bishop William Eric Grasar. He participated in the third and fourth sessions of the Second Vatican Council, held in 1964 and 1965.[1]
Bishop Tickle was the target of an assassination attempt by an Irish republican bomber, Shane Paul O'Doherty, after, O'Doherty later claimed, he had read "... a newspaper story quoting Tickle as saying British soldiers did nothing wrong on Bloody Sunday. The bomb, stuffed into a hollowed-out Bible, failed to detonate."[3][4]
Tickle resigned as Bishop of the Forces on 24 April 1978, at age 68, but continued as Titular Bishop of Bela until his death on 14 September 1994, aged 84.[1]