private William Truesdale

[chrisb]

Until recently we only knew William as the great uncle that didn't come back from the Great War. I'm nearly 60, so not great on new technology but it has been a godsend in finding previously unknown information and luckily I've stumbled onto this site.
My first knowledge of William came when I read a copy of my great grandfather's will, which was a heartbreaking document. The will was made in 1920, so obviously at that time William had still not been confirmed dead (or they had not been advised). It read:
"I also direct that the remaining balance of cash be lodged by my executors in the bank or post office for five years pending the return of my son William who was reported missing from the war to whom I leave fifty pounds. If at the end of five years he does not turn up all the money in the bank or post office will be divided share and share alike to my surviving sons and wife if she is alive at the time"
My great grandparents lived in Castlewellan, Northern Ireland and we do not know what William was doing in Salford but we suppose he went there for work, we know there were other Truesdale's in the area but don't know the relationship. My great grandfather had a farm, but most of his sons worked in the cotton mill.
Our sketchy information is that William joined the Salford Pals and ended up in the 15th battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers. He is listed on the Thiepval memorial as private no. 25153 who died aged 23 on 1/7/1916, he was the son of Robert & Sarah Truesdale and the brother of my grandfather Francis Truesdale.
I think it's marvelous that there are sites such as this that keep the memory of these men alive because, as I have found out, you can lose it all in a single generation. Thanks guys (& girls)

[bomber]

Hi Chris

On the 1911 Census there is a John William Truesdale b 1882 living in Salford.

Others living in Salford, but not confirmed as living at the same address (I have no credits to check)

Alice 1853 age 58
Gertrude 1887 age 24
John 1910 age 1
and
Muriel 1884 age 27

Don't know if you have that information already or not

[Deleted]

Alice & Muriel ( mother & Daughter ) were living at 18 Norbury Street Broughton Salford
John William & Gertrude ( man & wife ) son John all living at 16 Lydford Street Pendleton Salford 1911

Could this be the rest of the family 1911 Ireland ? www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Tyrone/Castlecaulfield/Drumreany_Town__b_/867497/

[Hawker Hurricane]

The 1911 Census for Ireland here shows William with his family at that time aged 18. This is inkeeping with the age at death of 23 recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I notice that his entry in Soldiers Died in the Great War lists both his birth and residence as Castlewellan, though his enlistment is Salford. I cannot help but wonder if he, like others I've heard of, chose to travel specially to enlist, and was perhaps directed to Salford. Sadly there is no sign of his service record, and I've found from experience that the Lancashire regiments seem to have been particularly ravaged in the 'burnt records'.

[chrisb]

Thanks everyone. I know of John William & Gertrude, but haven't been able to find the connection to date, though I'm sure there must be one. A lot of the Irish records have been destoyed & things are complicated a lot by the fact that the same names were used generation after generation & by siblings, but they weren't always called by the name they were christened with. My father was Robert William Francis, after his grandfather, uncle & father and we have a lot of John's, Francis, William, Robert. We had always assumed that William went to work in Salford because there was family there, but what you say about him going there to enlist could be the case, though my grandfather joined the Royal Irish Rifles in County Down (regimental No. 513) and it would have made more sense for them to join together

[Hawker Hurricane]

I have checked the July, August and September editions of the Salford Reporter, and could find no mention of William in any of them. I was hoping to find him initally listed as 'missing', as happened with so many others. However, given the sheer number of casualties suffered on the first day of the Somme, it is not surprising to find no mention. I wonder if the local newspaper covering Castlewellan may have carried something. He was likely not officially declared 'Dead' until later, and my the time some of the bodies were recovered, individual identification was sadly not always possible. What you mention of his father's will supports this, as many families found it hard to accept that because there was no confirmed grave or identified body, they therefore believed and hoped that it was a mistake, and their loved-one would turn up alive.