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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Capt. John Reginald Truelove, 1/24th Battn. London Regiment (The Queen


SteveS54

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Hello

I am making this post in case anyone who uses the forum is interested in Capt. John Reginald Truelove, who I have recently been researching.

He came to my attention because my grandfather has put a mark next to him on a group photograph taken when the 1/24th were in training at Hatfield during late 1914/early 1915. At that time my grandfather was a private and John Truelove a 2nd Lt - both joined 1/24th at the beginning of September 1914. My guess is that the mark on the photograph was probably to indicate that John Truelove was an officer in the same platoon or company as my grandfather.

Although I was unable to discover much about John Truelove's WW1 service, as his service record appears to have been lost, he had an interesting life story. Prior to the war he was an architect, and after the war he joined the IWGC, as an assistant to Sir Edwin Lutyens. He was involved in the design of several cemeteries, including Le Touret, where many of the 1/24th Londons who were killed at Givenchy on 25th/26th May 1915 are commemorated.

In later life he was the principal architect behind the design of Stoke Newington Town Hall (mid-1930s).

If anyone is interested in finding out more about this soldier, I would be happy to to send a copy of my research - please contact me by PM.

Cheers

Steve

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Do you know when he was decommissioned? His records may be at the MOD if it was post-1920. He started working for the IWGC in May 1919 but could he have still been a serving officer?

Mike

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I'm not sure how to check when he was decommissioned.

His MIC states that 'Capt. J R Truelove applies for star and medals, Oct. 25th 1921'. At this time his address is given as Longeunesse, St. Omer, which is presumably where he was based whilst working for the IWGC.

This suggests that he may have still been a serving officer in late 1921 - if so, how would one go about finding whether his records are still held by the MOD?

Thanks

Steve

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I found out that my grandfathers papers were at the MOD while researching at Kew. A helpful lady at the red desk found the info. on screen, which meant that I knew his file was there when I applied for it, paying up front. I don't know if the £30 administration fee is refunded if there's a negative result i.e. we've looked and can't find anything...

The National Archives record of my grandfather (in WO 338) had a ref. number P/****** which I was told indicated that the MOD held his papers - probably due to correspondence post-1921...

There's a 2-part form on the MOD site - "Request for Information held on Personnel Records of Deceased Service Personnel".

If you send it you should get a reply acknowledging receipt and explaining that it could take 3-6 months as they're so busy. In my case the papers took only 1-2 months.

No death certificate is required if the date of birth is 116 or more years ago!

Mike

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Many thanks for the advice on checking for records via WO 338 at Kew. The story of JRT has been an interesting sideline to my researches into my grandfather's service, and I will check this out if I find myself making a visit to Kew, which seems quite likely.

Thanks also for spotting his decommission date - I found his promotions listed in the Gazette, but I had limited my search dates to 1914-1919.

Steve

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  • 4 years later...

Dear Steve

              As you may well know George made a pilgrimage to the battlefields in 1922. I have seen a photograph of the King looking at a grave and one of the officers with him is named as Captain Truelove. Have you seen it and is it your man?

                                       Regards

                                              John White

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dear Steve and Members

            With reference to the above-named officer,it would appear that he is in this photograph showing George V visiting Tyne Cot Cemetery in May of 1922. Truelove is second from the left. I think he was still working for the IWGC .

                             Regards

                                   John White

King George At Tyne Cot.JPG

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  • 9 months later...

Dear John

 

Apologies for the delayed reply, but I have been off the forum for a couple of years. Many thanks for posting this picture - I have a couple of pictures from WW1 that include Captain Truelove and I sure this is the same man.

 

Regards

 

Steve

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  • 2 years later...

Dear Steve

A few years late, but if you see this, I was just googling Capt. Truelove's name on a whim (it being not so common) after I saw him listed in the 24th Battalion's war diaries (my great-great uncle H.G. Wharmby was killed in action with them). It seems Truelove and three others were wounded on 23 May 1916 at exactly 9-9.30pm. You can see the entry on this link. Makes it even more poignant that he ended up designing war memorials, I think.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354571

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  • 1 month later...

Private H G (Herbert Gladstone) Wharby is in the list of casulties of the 24th London Battalion in connection with the unveiling of the battalion's war memorial in Kennington Park, south London in 1924.  The monument is now a listed structure and was recently cleaned.

The architects of the war memorial were Messrs Lanchester, Lucas & Lodge.  Captain Thomas Lodge had been an officer in the 24th Londons.

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On 30/09/2014 at 16:06, SteveS54 said:

Capt. John Reginald Truelove

On 30/09/2014 at 16:06, SteveS54 said:

He was involved in the design of several cemeteries, including Le Touret, where many of the 1/24th Londons who were killed at Givenchy on 25th/26th May 1915 are commemorated.

On 11/11/2022 at 17:41, Jack0310 said:

It seems Truelove and three others were wounded on 23 May 1916

It seems he later made a disability pension claim - was considered an Overseas claim [unfortunately no helpfully significant details on the pension index card at WFA/Fold3] 

M

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  • 4 months later...

Hello all,

Though most of you haven't been here for a very long time. I'm hoping that you could help me with some information.

I'm researching a family in Sweden, where the daughter Annie Maria Lilliesköld (from a Swedish nobility family) married a English man and moved to Sheffield in 1908. Her first husband died in 1916, and two years later she married John Reginald Truelove. I have been able to find out some information about him, but not her. From what I've learned they had a son, Peter Arvid John Truelove, born 1918-10-23, dead in 2001, who participated in WWII. I know that captain Truelove died in 1942, but I have no idea when his wife Annie died. If any of you who have done research on captain Truelove know anything about his family, then I would be extremely grateful if you could tell me about it.

I'm also wondering about Annie's first husband, William Charlesworth Warlow (1883-1916). I guess he was also involved in the great war and maybe he died because of war injuries. If anyone has any information on him I would be happy to receive that as well.

Thanks,
Lena, a Swedish genealogist

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Lenagus59,

Welcome to the GWF!

The best match that I can find for Annie Maria's death listed on FreeBMD is,

Truelove, Annie M. aged 76 in Q2, 1967, in Swansea, Wales

However, there are many other Annie Truelove entries without a second initial.

Regards,

JMB

EDIT: Virtually all William Warlow marriages in this time period (1900-1920) occurred in Wales, although I cannot find the Lillieskold/Warlow marriage; presumably this took place in Sweden?

Edited by JMB1943
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Thank you so much, JMB1943! Though I doubt that your Annie Truelove is the correct one. She was born May 1 1886, so she should have turned 81 in 1967.

I'm thinking that maybe she married again, since she was only ("only") 56 when J R Truelove died. Isn't there any way to use her birthdate when searching for her? If there is, I haven't found it. On the other hand I'm not at all used to doing research in Britain.

Regards,
Lena

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Lena,

The next best age match is, 

Truelove, Annie aged 76 in Q1, 1957, Pancras , London.

Suggest you use a genealogy site (Ancestry, Find My Past etc) to search the British census records (1901, 1911, 1921, 1931, 1951)

Regards,

JMB

EDIT: Q1 is Jan-March, so misses her b'day in May.

Edited by JMB1943
typo
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In the 1939 Register the family are living at 14 Palliser Road, Fulham, London:

Truelove John R, born 30 March 1886, Architect (Chartered)

Truelove Annita M, 1 May 1886, unpaid domestic duties

Truelove Emilia A M, 27 December 1914, Private Secretary

Truelove Peter A J, 10 ?October 1918, Student, Officers Cadet Reserve

Surits? Adela, 10 October 1909, Paid Domestic Duties

The probate record for JF Truelove from early 1942 gives an address of Terrace House Hotel, Richmond, Yorkshire. He is buried in Easby, North Yorkshire, but his headstone does not mention his wife.

On the Electoral REgister in London in the 1930s, John Reginald's wife's name is given as Anita Mary Truelove

The Fulham Chronicle of 13 October 1944 has a story about Major Peter Truelove of the Royal Engineers being in a military hospital in Australia, the only son of Mrs A K Truelove, widow, of 14 Palliser Road, Fulham; he was 27, was educated at St Paul's school, West Kensington, and Oxford. He went straight from college into the army. His mother and his sister Pamela were both doing war work. The family had lived in Fulham for 14 years.

In March 1945 the Buckingham Advertiser announced  the marriage will shortly take place between Major Peter A. J. Truelove, Royal Engineers, and Sue Carlypn Evans, British Embassy, Caracas, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lionel Carlyon Evans, Swanbourne House. They married on 16 April 1945 in the British Embassy in Caracas. He died in London in Autumn 2001.

I'm afraid I have not been able to track Annie/ Annita/ Anita Truelove. 

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Moriaty,

Very nice, comprehensive post!!!

Regards,

JMB

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This I think is the death you are looking for when it comes to Anita Mary Truelove's death, given her date of birth is 1 May 1886. Her death was registered in Surrey, England in 1977. Unfortunately I cannot be more specific as to the quarter or registration district as deaths for the year 1977 are not currently available in the GRO Indexes.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVCR-2KQB

 

Edited by Tawhiri
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Given the marriage of Anita and John didn't apparently take place until 1918, the daughter in the 1939 register must be a daughter from her first marriage, even though she is using the surname Truelove. Although her name is transcribed as Emilia in the register, I'm not sure how she got that name given her first registered birth name is Pamela:

WARLOW, PAMELA  ANNITA MARY LILLIESKOLD     Mother's maiden name: LILLIESKOLD      
GRO Reference: 1915  M Quarter in ECCLESALL BIERLOW  Volume 09C  Page 839  Occasional Copy: A

The birth of son Peter is far more straightforward to find:

TRUELOVE, PETER  ARVID JOHN Mother's maiden name: LILLIESKOLD  

GRO Reference: 1918  D Quarter in WYCOMBE  Volume 03A  Page 1307

Her first husband William Charlesworth Warlow can easily be found in the 1891 and 1901 England and Wales censuses, living with his family in Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7N9J-CN2

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9RM-G1T

In 1911 he is now married to Anita and they are living in Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire in a household with what looks to be Anita's younger brother who is described as an engineering student, along with two domestics, one of who is also from Sweden. The surname Lillieskold has, unfortunately, been well and truly butchered by whoever did the transcription, but given he is described as being the brother-in-law of the head of the household, he can only be Anita's younger brother.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWKC-RYW

John Reginald Truelove can also be found in the same census, also living with his parents and siblings in Ecclesall Bierlow, Yorkshire. Interestingly his younger brother, who is the same age as Anita's brother, is also described as an engineering student so that may be the original connection between the two households 

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWKD-3BH

Edited by Tawhiri
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A search of the British Newspaper Archive produces a newspaper article from the Sheffield Daily Telegraph, dated Thursday, 17 February 1916, announcing the death of William Charlesworth Warlow the previous day at his residence.

... SHEFFIELD NEWS. ME, WILLIAM 0. WARLOWi, LORD .MAYOR OF SHEFFIELD'S SAD LOSS. We have to record with sincere the passing awav of Mr. William tharlcswor Warlow, eldest son of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Sheffield, who died yesterday at his residence ...

He seems to have come from a very well-connected family, as his father was apparently the mayor of Sheffield at the time. You can access the original article through either the British Newspaper Archive or Findmypast, and it should hopefully tell you more about the circumstances of his death. It doesn't look to be connected to the war, and there are certainly no indications he was serving at the time. I suspect being involved in steelmaking he may have been in a reserved occupation.

Edited by Tawhiri
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Thank you all so incredibly much for all this information!
I really appreciate it!

I knew some of this before, as I was trying a 3-day free subscription on Findmypast.co.uk yesterday, and also doing a lot of searching on FamilySearch. But you have given me lots of new info and I'm overwhelmed by your efforts to help me!

My warmest regards,
Lena, Lomma, Sweden

Edited by lenagus59
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23 hours ago, JMB1943 said:

Virtually all William Warlow marriages in this time period (1900-1920) occurred in Wales, although I cannot find the Lillieskold/Warlow marriage; presumably this took place in Sweden?

Sorry, JMB, forgot to reply to your question:

Yes, the marriage took place in Annie's home parish Värnamo in Sweden on April 20 1908.

Regards,
Lena

1908-Marriage-AnnieLilliesköld-WillamWarlow.JPG

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