Robert Edward Bruce Pyke was born in Elmswell, Suffolk, on 11th October 1890, to Edward, a master blacksmith and Elizabeth (née Bruce). Edward and Elizabeth had three other children; William and twins Dorothy and Albert. In 1911, they were living in Elmswell where Robert was working as a labourer on a farm and by the following year, Robert had moved to Melton to work as a labourer at Valley Farm. He married Hannah Osborne, daughter of George and Rhebe, later in the same year.

Robert had enlisted into a territorial battalion of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) before war broke out and so he was mobilised at the beginning of August 1914 and posted to join the 11th Field Ambulance RAMC. The 11th Field Ambulance were due to be sent to France as soon as war had been declared but were held back to defend Britain in the event of a German invasion. The decision was reversed, however, due to the fate of the British Expeditionary Force in France and their hasty retreat from Mons. So, on 28th August 1914, the 11th Field Ambulance proceeded to France.

The 11th Field Ambulance was part of the 11th Brigade, 4th Division, and with them, Robert would see action at The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne and The Battle of Messines in 1914. The following year, they fought in The Second Battle of Ypres and in 1916, moved south and saw action during the Battle of the Somme. In 1917, Robert and the 11th Field Ambulance were at Arras, in action during The First and Third Battles of the Scarpe, before heading north in September 1917 for the Third Battle of Ypres. Here, Robert saw action during The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle and The First Battle of Passchendaele. After only eighteen days in Belgium, however, the 11th Field Ambulance was travelling south to Arras again. They remained in the area until April 1918, when they were moved just north of Bethune on the Somme. Their final move was south once more to the Arras area where Robert took part in The Second Battles of Arras, the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy.

For his war service, Robert received the 1914 Star and the British War and Victory Medals. He was also entitled to the Clasp and Rose for coming under fire between 4th August and 21st November 1914.

On returning to Melton, Robert resumed working at Valley Farm and joined the night staff at St Audry’s Hospital where he worked until his retirement. Robert and Hannah had four children and their eldest son, Robert James Bruce Pyke, served with the 4th Suffolk Regiment in the Second World War. He was taken prisoner in Singapore and died in Nompaduck, Thailand, on the Burma Railway. His father, Robert, died in 1968 and is buried at Melton Old Church.

Robert Pyke’s brothers, William and Albert, also served during the First World War.

William Bruce Pyke enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps. He died in a motor accident at Honiton, Devon, while driving an officer from Gosport, Hampshire, to Devonport, Devon, on 19th January 1917. He is buried in St John’s Church graveyard, Elmswell.

His younger brother, Albert Pyke, served with the 8th (Service) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment and was killed in action on 19th July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. His battalion was ordered to retake the village of Longueval and during the fighting, two hundred and five OR (Other Ranks) were killed. He is buried in Quarry Cemetery, Montauban, near Albert, France.

William and Albert are both remembered on Elmswell War Memorial, Suffolk