Wallace Pike

Who was Wallace Pike?

Wallace Pike was the last known Newfoundland World War I veteran. He enlisted as a volunteer in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment as an underage soldier. He saw action on the Western Front as a stretcher-bearer where he was wounded twice, once in the leg and once in the hand. At the end of his military service he held the rank of private. He was honored by Newfoundland Premier Brian Tobin as a veteran who "represented what would later become a Canadian tradition in times of conflict - that of humanitarian and life-saver". France awarded Pike its highest accolade, The Legion of Honour. The award was commemorated in 1998 by French Ambassador Denis Bauchard who praised Pike saying, "Through your courage you sealed forever the eternal bonds of friendship, solidarity and affection between our two countries." Wallace Pike died on April 11, 1999 aged 99 - just one month after the deaths of Newfoundland WWI veterans John Brinson and Alexander White.