Private Charles Edward Pyke
Charles Edward Pyke was born on 13 January 1898 at Ardeevan, Glasnevin, North Dublin, the last of four children of English-born commercial traveller (tea and sugar agent) Charles Lloyd Pyke and his wife Margaret (née Cinnamond). By the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 10 Church Hill Terrace, Glasnevin, with his parents and two of his siblings. His father died a year later.
Pyke enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 10 and 19 April 1916 (No.2149). After training at Antrim, however, on 14 June 1917 he and a handful of others transferred to the South Irish Horse (No.3145) and embarked for France, where they were posted to one of the two South Irish Horse regiments.
Three months later these regiments were disbanded and re-formed as an infantry battalion, the 7th (South Irish Horse) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment. The transfer of the men took place on 11 October 1917. Pyke was issued regimental number 25712.
Nothing more has been discovered about his service during the latter part of 1917 and through 1918. On 9 February 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
By 1931 Pyke was living at 73 Demesne, Killester, County Dublin, and working as a commercial traveller. On 9 February that year he married Helen Buchanan Mathews in St Anne's Church of Ireland Parish Church, Dublin.