Military Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. GV with 'Regular Army' bar (1864063 S. Sjt. H. E. Pike. R.E.)

Herbert Edward Pike (1900-1954), took his discharge from the Royal Engineers on, 8 November 1935, at which time he held the appointment Warrant Officer II and rank Engineer Clerk Quartermaster Sergeant

Escape or Internment from Singapore Colony 1942?: The recipient who had taken his discharge from the British Army in November 1935 - after just completing an overseas deployment to Singapore Colony - very shorty afterwards accepted an appointment with the Port of Singapore Harbour Board (ref the Lincolnshire, newspaper 'The Standard' issue of 20 December 1941) being described a 'Harbour Official' in Singapore 1941. What happend to Herbert Pike during and after the 'Fall of Singapore' in not currently known - but what is known beyond any doubt, is that he was in the 'War Zone' and that his wife Mary Isobel Pike (nee Maslin) and his 13 year old son 'Harry' Pike are both confirmed as - very lucky - incoming passengers who got out of battle scarred Singapore Colony on 30 January 1942, while the island was besieged by Imperial Japanese Forces - and just 8 day prior to the island being invaded - when his family got out on one of the last, if not the last, major liner, S.S. 'Empress of Japan' to get out of Singapore Colony (refer Inwards Passenger Lists. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA). File Series BT26). Herbert's family safely disembarked,at Liverpool. England, on 19 March 1942, after their high-stakes ocean odyssey via Netherlands East Indies, Australia & Ceylon Colony.

With only notable exceptions for advanced age, disability etc, in January 1941, all British and Commonwealth civilians employed in Singapore & Straits Settlements were recruited into the local armed forces and uniformed volunteer services - and mostly qualified for campaign stars and medals depending the force / service they mustered with......

The Lincolnshire newspaper 'The Standard' issue of, 20 December 1941, contained the below following interesting article about Herbert Pike and his extended family were scattered in Shanghai and Singapore in December 1941;

Quote,

IN WAR ZONES

BOSTONIANS IN SHANGHAI AND SINGAPORE

Four members of a well known Boston family are at present in the middle of the Pacific war zone - Shanghai and Singapore. Mr. & Mrs. Reginald Hargreaves, both Boston natives, are now at Shanghai now.

Mrs. Hargreaves is the daughter of the late Mr. Stennett and Mrs. Stennett of Fydell Street, and sister of Miss Richardson, of Skirbeck Road, and Mrs. Clawson, of 4 South Terrace.

Mr. William Pike, step-brother of Mrs. Hargreaves, is like Mr. Hargreaves, a member of the Shanghai Police Force, and a native of Boston. His wife, who is a Russian lady, and a young son also reside at Shanghai.

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Pike, are now at Singapore. Mr. Pike, is brother of Mr. Hargreaves and of Mr. William Pike. He is a harbour official.

Unquote.

The recipient, Herbert Edward Pike, had ended his career with the Royal Engineers on 8 November 1935, at which time he held the appointment Warrant Officer II and rank Engineer Clerk Quartermaster Sergeant

Medals Verification: In addition to his LS&GC medal Staff-Sergeant Harold E. Pike, is confirmed entitled to 2 x other war medals for his earlier front-line combat service during the Great War while serving with the Royal Engineers t on the Western Front, and per the below referenced sources:

- British War Medal: WO 329/401 No. 128934 Pnr. R.E., previously 19317 Pte Lincolnshire Regiment
- Interallied Victory Medal: WO 329/401 128934 Pnr. R.E., previously 19317 Pte Lincolnshire Regiment
- Military LSGC. GV 'Regular Army' bar: Awarded circa 1934 after 18 years service with 'The Colours' 

Note: Depending what uniformed service military or civil, Herbert may have served in Singapore / Malaya 1941-42, he would have been additionally entitled to Second World War campaign medals.......

Herbert Edward Pike, son of Henry Pike (a Police Constable) and Eliza Pike (nee Richardson) was a native of Daventry, Northamptonshire, England, where he was born in 1900 - and where he was baptized on 11 March 1900. The 1901 National Census for England & Wales, records Herbert, living with both of his parents and his older sibling brother William Henry Pike, at their residence located  in Badby, Northamptonshire, England. In 1907, Herbert's father died. His mother later re-married a Mr. John  William Stennett and by the compilation of the 1911 National Census, Herbert and his older brother William H. Pike brother were now living with their mother, stepfather and younger sister, at their residence located at 79 Liquorpond Street, Boston, Lincolnshire, England.

During the Great War, while an underage teenager, Herbert enlisted in the British Army, on 7 December 1915, when he joined a battalion of his local infantry unit, the Lincolnshire Regiment, and given the regimental number 19317. Possibly because of his youth, he never served overseas with the Lincoln's. At some date he transferred to the Royal Engineers and was allocated to the regimental number 128934 - with which unit he first entered France. Reference The Boston Guardian Newspaper of 12 October 1918, Herbert is reported to have returned to Boston, Lincolnshire, on home leave of 14 days from the Western Front - where the article mentions he had been serving for the past 2 years 9 months (i.e. since January/February 1916). Herbert's extant Royal Engineers tracker care shows that he was assigned to the R.E. Special Brigade, in which capacity he would have been involved in the delivery of gas attacks, an occupation that led to his employment in the Experimental Company at Porton Down in 1919-24. In 1920, Herbert was assigned a new unique 'Army Number' 1864063. In his later career he subsequently undertook overseas tours of duty in Sierra Leone (West Africa) and to Singapore Colony / Straits Sett Settlements. He was discharged as an Engineer Clerk and Quarter-Master Sergeant in November 1935

Herbert Edward Pike, of 122 Crockford Park Road, Addlestone, Surrey, England, is recorded to have died on 29 November 1953. He was succeeded by his widow Mary Isobel Pike (nee Maslen), who he had married at Dover, Kent, during the first quarter of 1926

Condition: GVF

Code: 26052