Trooper Thomas Harry Pipkin, 5495, 12th (Prince of Wales') Royal Lancers was killed in action in France on April 11th, 1917. He had survived the first cavalry charge of the war and was engaged in another cavalry advance when he met his death at the age of 19.

Thomas was the eldest son of William and Alice Mary Pipkin, of 42 Cardigan Street, Luton. He was an old boy of Beech Hill School who was apprenticed as a plumber to builder Mr G. W. Pryer, of Moor Street. He left that job to join Mr Arthur Hill's bakery in Chapel Street and then enlisted in the Lancers three weeks before his 16th birthday and four months before the outbreak of war.

He spent a year and eight months at the Front, much of that time in the trenches. During that time he had risen to become a Troop leader.

In a letter to Mr and Mrs Pipkin, one of the officers of the regiment wrote that Thomas was buried on the battlefield where he fell, along with other fallen comrades.