Hi there Madam Cat,
While Ian is going backwards (in a good way) I'm going forwards.
From 'The Dominion' on Friday June 26, 1964, page 18 comes the following:
TRUELOVE, Francis Norman, or 35 Bolton Street, Petone. On 25 June 1964 at Wellington, beloved husband of the late Catherine Truelove and loved father of Jack, Muriel, Joe, Nora, Kathleen and Alice: in his 82nd year. No flowers please. The funeral service will be held in the Small Crematorium Chapel, Karori Cemetery, tomorrow (Saturday) June 27, 1964 at 1pm. EH Shirley & Son.
...and then I happened to look sideways and saw....
Roll of Honour Deaths:
TRUELOVE, Francis Norman, No. 527406. Royal Army Medical Corps, 1914-1918 World War, Boer War verteran and member of the K.E.V. Association.
Now I don't yet know what the KEV Association is but the last word has to be Veterans I suspect. Emigrating Veterans??? Anyway that fortuitous glance means you can probably crack onto his military records in the UK given you know what his number was and what type of unit he was in.
But I still had a problem. The obit said 'the late Catherine' but I had already told you that she had died after he had!! That meant I had told you a porky (or the NZSG Index had in that it has a typo!). However all is not lost. After another quantum leap here is a notice from 'The Dominion' on Tuesday February 7, 1956, page 1:
TRUELOVE - On February 5, 1956 at her resident 35 Bolton Street, Petone, Catherine Mary, dearly loved wife of Francis Norman Truelove, and loved mother of Jack, Joe, Muriel, Nora, Nellie, Kathleen and the late Phyllis and Phillip, aged 73 years. No flowers please. Private Cremation. Gee & Hickton Ltd, Lower Hutt and Petone.
So what does this tell us apart from the fact that Catherine died in 1956 instead of 1966? It confirms that the Phillip in Karori Cemetery is their son. Don't know where Phyllis is. The notices also confirm that Alice Nellie is their daughter and more than likely the AM Truelove that came out on the Rimutaka. Also if Catherine died in 1956 aged 73 that puts her approx year of birth at 1882/1883.
www.freebmd.org only has record of two Catherine Mary Turner's born in that period. One in the June quarter of 1883 in the district of Woolwich, vol 1d, page 1180, and one in the September quarter of 1883 in the district of Camberwell, vol 1d, page 927. The Woolwich one is more likely as that is the same district where Francis Norman was birth registered (I think). However getting their marriage cert would clear up which person is which. I'm betting on the Woolwich one.
And then upstairs in the Wellington City Newspapers Index I found this wee gem:
TRUELOVE, Jack Raymond - On June 18, 1984, at Christchurch. Dearly beloved husband of the late Jean, loved father and father in law of Judith and Peter Cousins and a loved grandfather of Michelle and Nicola. In his 81st year. Messages to 57 Stanbury Avenue, Christchurch 2. A funeral service to be held at Christchurch tomorrow (Wednesday). Lamb and Hayward Ltd.
So while I was feeling happy with that I forgot to look Phillip up! Will go back and do that at some point and also look at the Christchurch papers to see if there is more info on where Jack may be buried as he is not in any of the Christchurch cemeteries.
All in all a good days work there, I think.
Cheers
Bunny
