Rifleman 574924 1^st/17^th Bn, London Regiment
Died 23^rd December 1917, aged 25
Remembered at Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel
& on both Blakeney War Memorials

Frederick was born in Blakeney 25^th May 1892. He was the third of 5 sons born to the blacksmith Samuel Pyke (born Cley 1859, died Blakeney 1901) and his wife Mary Ann Harvey (born Blakeney 1858). They were married in Blakeney, 1880 where all their children were baptised; Alice May, Matilda Edith, May, William Samuel 1886-1887, William 1888-1888, Elizabeth Jane, Frederick Walter, Emma Eliza , Herbert Ernest and William Samuel, born 1898.

In 1911, the Census records Frederick as an 18 year old “gardener domestic” living with his widowed mother, Emma and William on the west side of the High Street, in a cottage located on the south side of Parker’s Post Office Yard.

There are no Service Records for Frederick and even the brief details provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, apart from enlistment at Deptford, leaves both his unit and exact location of his death unresolved. Somewhat perplexing is his unit as the 1/17^th seems to have only served in France. Was he transferred? One conflicting burial document for Fred somewhat confirms this as it lists him serving with the 1^st/10^th London Regiment and they certainly saw action with the The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) at the Third Battle of Gaza. Whatever, Fred died in the aftermath of the capture of Jerusalem on 9^th December and the subsequent defence of Jerusalem that began later that month. He was probably with the 60^th (2/2^nd London) Division, set to secure Bireh astride the road north from Jerusalem to Nablus, when he was killed in action.

Frederick died 2 days before Xmas and is one of 3,300 WW1 Commonwealth soldiers buried at Ramleh War Cemetery. His cross has the added inscription “He laid down his life for us” that was added at his mother’s request for an additional cost of 6s 5d. Less than a year later, his mother lost a second son to the Great War when William Samuel Pyke was killed in France. Frederick and William Pyke are one of three sets of brothers that lost their lives; George and William King and John and James Long being the others.