TOREVELL, Walter Sydney, b c1881 - WW1

[fullscott]

This man served as Walter CLARKE, so he is "mis-filed" in the WW1 Service Records (WO 363):

Walter Sydney TOREVELL, joined the RFA (as CLARKE) in August 1902, declaring age 19y 10m, born "Upton, near Derby, Cheshire". freebmd shows Q3 1881 Wirral, so assume Upton by Birkenhead?
Sister: Jessie YARDLEY (Gorton, Manchester).

He married without leave in 1904 (Leyland) to Emma HIBBERT. Children: ALICE 1906; CHARLES DAVID 1908. freebmd shows IRENE 1906; CHARLES 1908

He served with the RFA as Pte 25440 until 16 Aug 1915 - Termination of engagement (13y 5d).

Very strange!

Anc****y, CLA, pages 175327 to 175330

[elsinore]

These look like the right children:

Alice TOREVELL 1905 Preston Sep 08E 598 mmn HIBBERT
Charles David TORVELL 1907 Preston Jun 08E 573 mmn HIBBERT

Peter

[elsinore]

Possibly two more:

George TORVELL 1910 Preston Dec 08E 472 mmn HIBBERT
Hannah TORVELL 1913 Prston Dec 08E 953 mmn HIBBERT

Peter

[elsinore]

1911 Census at 103 Gordon Street, Preston, lodging with a family of HIBBERTS.
Emma TORVELL 27 married 7 years b. Manchester
Alice TORVELL 5 b. Preston
David TORVELL 3 b. Preston
George TORVELL 5 months b. Preston

Emma states she had 4 children of which 1 has died. As Hannah was born in 1913, there must be another one.

Peter

[elsinore]

Can't find another TOREVELL/TORVELL birth with mmn HIBBERT but there is this:

Frederick HIBBERT b. 1904 Preston Mar 08E 534
Frederick HIBBERT d. 1906 Preston Sep 08E 371 aged 2

Peter

[Lesley Robertson]

There's a marriage for an Eliza Josephine Torevell to John Alfred Yardley in 1880 in Chorlton on FreeBMD
Nothing for Torvell.

I would have said that this was a fairly unusual name until I hit the wrong census key and found in the 1911 a clerk called Walter Sydney Torvell b. abt 1880 Upton near Derby BUT married to Eliza and with 2 children surname Brown plus Helen Dora Torvell aged 3.

I can't find a marriage for WST and Eliza between the births of the second little Brown and Helen Dora.

Could this be the reason for the alias in the army?

[Lesley Robertson]

It looks like there could have been 2 of them. There's a WW1 record for a Walter Sydney Torevell (with RASC 8496 written across the front page) from Upton aged 38. He seems to have reenlisted in the RASC Canteens in 1919 and then been discharged in 1920. The plot thickens, though, because this second guy is listed on the medal application included in his records as 25440 Dvr (later B/460183 RASC) - the first number corresponds to the number given in message 1. Gives NOK as Eliza Brown, "friend as wife".
Previous enlistment 1916 RFA.

It's all rather complicated!

[elsinore]

It's all rather complicated!

It certainly is!

On Ancestry there are 4 sets of military service documents which appear to relate to the same man:

Walter CLARKE 175327 - 175330
Walter Sydney TOREVELL 1337 – 1342
Walter Sydney TORVELL 7698 - 7721
Walter Sydney TOREVELL 7722 – 7727

The medal index card for Walter S TOREVELL states his service numbers as 25440 RFA and B/460183 ASC.

Peter

[Lesley Robertson]

The service record that I found is worth a look if you have a general interest in WW1 forms of service (rather than WST). It had a couple of documents that I hadn't seen before. It seems to relate mostly to his 1919/1920 service when he was with RASC Canteens - their terms of service made it sound most unwelcoming - more about what they were not entitled to (eg army pay, equipment, etc).