Thomas George Pike

Story:
Thomas George Pike was born at Stour Row, Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1893, the son of Mark Pike and Eliza Pike (née Elliott).  He lived his early life with the family at Fir Tree Cottage, Stour Row, until, later on, they moved to 63 St. James Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset.  Thomas enlisted and joined the Machine Gun Corps as a Private (Service No. 6371) but later transferred to the Mobile Graves Registration Unit of the Labour Corps (Service No. 418623).  It is not known in which theatre of war he served but when he was discharged he was awarded the Victory and British War medals.   He married Edith Ann Taylor at St. James' Church, Shaftesbury, on 12th January 1921 and by the 1921 Census was living at 71 St. James Street, Shaftesbury, working as a Road Labourer for the Shaftesbury Rural Council.   The 1939 Register shows his wife and children were living at 5 Christys Lane, Shaftesbury, Dorset, but there was no mention of Thomas at this time (this might indicate he was employed in some military unit even as a civilian).  He had moved to Kington Magna, Dorset by the time of his death which was recorded at the Sturminster, Dorset, Registry in 1969.   He was buried at Cann, Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 15 May 1969