William THRELFALL, formerly of WWI's 29th Division

[johnps]

I am looking for information about someone called William THRELFALL. He was born, I am guessing, around 1895 and served with the 29th Division in WW1 as a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC).
My interest in William stems from research I am conducting on the 29th Division’s entertainment troupe, the Diamond Troupe. William played the female impersonator, “Queenie”, and by all accounts, was the star of the show. I’ve been trying to trace the subsequent lives of all the troupe members and have had reasonable success with some. But William, it seems, left no trace. All I have are his military medal records which indicate that his RAMC Regimental No. was 2140; that he enlisted on 2 Nov 1915; was first posted to Egypt; was transferred to the Western Front for the remainder of the war and then was demobilized 15 July 1919.
You can see a summary of my research in a Wikipedia article I posted a few months back:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Troupe.
I am writing in hopes that "Queenie's" story might resonate with someone out there. Would be grateful for any information or guidance.

[ThrelfallYorky]

Pretty sure he's not one of mine, for several reasons - but if you hunt round online there's a William T of RAMC there, from Blackburn, b 1891 with wife Henrietta & son John, joined up from Whitehead Street, but he seems to have been discharged fairly soon. Any help?

[ThrelfallYorky]

... That William Threlfall married Henrietta Clark in late 1913 at Blackburn.

[johnps]

Thanks, yes I saw his pension record on Ancestry.com (Reg. No. 119217). But as you noted, he was discharged in 1917 – the year the Diamond Troupe was formed. And I believe Queenie carried on to the bitter end.

[CaroleW]

Hi

You have posted on the Lancashire board - is that because all the William Threlfall births on freebmd between 1893-1896 were in Lancs or do you have some other info that connects William with Lancashire?

The only surviving WW1 record showing a William Threlfall in the RAMC had the middle name of Gordon and was b 1877

1895 is just a "guesstimate" for his birthyear and with so little info it would be difficult to pinpoint him on census returns.

You are really dependant on somebody having him in their Family Tree

[johnps]

Thank you - and yes, you are correct. I checked the FreeBMD and virtually all the William Threlfalls born between 1890 and 1900 (there are about 37) were born in Lancashire. The one or two outliers were born in Cumbia and Cheshire. My hope is that someone with the right William Threlfall in their family will see the connection. I’ve also written to most (about 50) of those on Ancestry.com with a William Threlfall in their family trees. Have received some responses, but unfortunately not the right person. Interestingly, one potential candidate could be eliminated because his granddaughter remembered him as tall, whereas the Queenie in my photos shows someone of average height. Sadly, the online documentation just isn’t there. Any suggestions as to what other approaches might bear fruit would be welcome. Thanks.

[Barbara.H]

The British Newspaper archive shows a William Threlfall, singer, in a few listings from the 1920s - might possibly be the same person who pursued a career in entertainment after the war?
However the one in the papers is described as 'baritone' which is hardly the ideal register for a female impersonator... unless that was part of the fun of course, chap in a dress with a deepish voice. There is mention of The Station Quartet - a barbershop singing group perhaps?
There are also a couple of mentions for a Billy Threlfall at a theatre in Blackpool (1929). They are just cast listings, no further information.

  Barbara
(he's not one of my Threlfalls)

[johnps]

Interesting – I will check that out. But I agree about the baritone bit. In nearly all of the newspaper articles about the troupe’s January 1918 performances at the Royal Court Theatre (and there were many – from the Times, to Daily Mail, to the Observer) the authors emphasized how convincing Queenie was. Thanks.

[CaroleW]

Have you already investigated the possibility that he emigrated after WW1?

If he continued a theatrical career, the USA would be the likeliest.  The 1930 US census may be a good starting point - even if only to rule it out