On the outbreak of war he enlisted into the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of corporal,[2] eventually being commissioned as a second lieutenant on 1 April 1916.
[5] He gained his first victory on 23 May 1917 by driving down out of control a Type C reconnaissance aircraft, repeating the feat on 28 May.
On 15 June he destroyed an Albatros D.III west of Houthem, and sent down another in flames on 28 July, east of Roeselare,[1] but was then himself also shot down and wounded.
On 8 August he shared in the shooting down in flames of a Halberstadt C reconnaissance aircraft over Harbonnières with Captain Robert Foster, and Lieutenants Cedric Edwards, Kenneth M. Walker and M. A.
[11] In July 1923 he took part in the fourth RAF Aerial Pageant at Hendon Aerodrome, competing in the "low bombing" event in which five Sopwith Snipes took turns to attack a target representing a "temporarily disabled tank" with dummy bombs.
Luke won the event, with Flying Officer Alan Jerrard coming second.
18 Squadron's Hawker Harts from RAF Martlesham Heath as part of the forces of "Southland", commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Sir Tom Webb-Bowen, attacking the territory of "Northland", commanded by Air Vice-Marshal Frederick Bowhill.