You are in [Themes] [War Memorials] [War Memorial - 2nd World War] [Thomas Pike]
J/114847 A/B Pike T.
After leaving school at 14, Thomas Pike, son of Frederick and Rose Pike, joined the Royal Navy, going to a training ship until he was old enough to join his first ship, HMS Impregnable. He went on to serve on HMS Iron Duke, Valiant and Queen Elizabeth before joining HMS Glorious before the outbreak the war.
Following the allied retreat, Glorious was taking part in the evacuation of the Norwegian port of Narvik. On the evening of the 8th June the German ships, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, found Glorious and her destroyer escort and engaged them from nearly 16 miles away. The aim was near perfect with the flight deck of Glorious being put out of use even before she could launch her aircraft.
Although Scharnhorst was damaged in the stern by one of the escort ships, the unrelenting barrage sank the three ships with a loss from Glorious alone of 833 lives. A/B Pike was working in the Magazine Room and was among those killed.
His was the first war loss from Hungerford. His twin brother, who had served with him on all his previous ships, had left Glorious to do a Gunnery course and went on to survive the war.
His name is listed on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
The Canal Wharf, 2011