Jenny Pike (; July 23, 1922 – April 19, 2004) was a Canadian photographer and servicewoman. She worked in London during WWII, and was the only female photographer to help develop the first photos of the D-Day landings. After the war, she worked as a

darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, to make prints and to carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of the light-sensitive photographic materials, including film and ph ...

technician for the police in Victoria, British Columbia.

Early life

Jenny Whitehead was born July 23, 1922 in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. She had three older siblings. Whitehead discovered an interest in photography as a child, learning to develop film by age eleven, and she enjoyed assisting her older brother in his photography lab. When she was older she found a job in the photography department of

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...

Career and marriage

In early 1943, Whitehead offered her services as a photographer to the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

, and in February she was accepted as a probationary recruit in the

Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service The Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS or "Wrens") was an element of the Royal Canadian Navy that was active during the Second World War and post-war as part of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve until unification in 1968.http://esask.ureg ...

. Her father supported her and helped her write letters to apply for the job. His act of support was not the norm for the time. In August, Whitehead took a photography training course in Ottawa, and was one of only seven female recruits in the class. In February 1944, Whitehead was sent to London, England. When the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

invasions began, Whitehead helped develop the first incoming photos from the D-Day landings. She was the only female photographer in the darkroom team. She went home to Canada in April 1945, and was granted an honorable discharge from the army in January 1946, having achieved the rank of petty officer. After the war, Whitehead married Donovan Pike, a childhood friend and navy officer. They lived in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

, and the couple had two children. Jenny Pike was a member of the Winnipeg Royal Canadian Legion in the late 1940s, and later joined the Ex-Service Women's Branch 182 in Victoria. In 1969, Pike started working for the Victoria City Police Identification Unit as a darkroom technician, finally retiring in 1983. She continued taking pictures as an amateur photographer for many years afterwards. In the early 1980s, Pike worked as a film crew member on '' The Glitter Dome'', providing photography and also appearing as an extra in the film.

Death

Pike died on April 19, 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pike, Jenny 1922 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Canadian photographers Artists from Winnipeg Canadian women photographers War photographers 20th-century women photographers 20th-century Canadian women artists Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Women photojournalists