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, make Photographic printing, prints and carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including ...

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 Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

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 ...

. 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 g ...

Career and marriage

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

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

, 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 Canadian Forces Naval Reserve, Royal Canadian Naval Reserve until unificat ...

. 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 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

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 A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...

. 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, 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 ''The Glitter Dome'' is a 1984 American made-for-HBO crime drama film starring James Garner, Margot Kidder and John Lithgow. The film, based on the 1981 Joseph Wambaugh Hollywood-set homicide novel of the same name, was directed by Stuart Margoli ...

'', 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 War photographers 20th-century Canadian women photographers Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Women photojournalists