My Great Uncle - a very brave but modest man

My Great Uncle Reg (Charles Reginald Trelease) a very modest man served in both WW1 (fighting in the trenches) and WW2. I understand he lied about his age when he volunteered to serve in the first World War, claiming he was older than he was!

I don't know very much about his exploits as he said very little about his experiences, but he always joked about his time as a Japanese prisoner of war. He had a mischievious sense of humour, in his calculations, this affected his age as (in later life) he always claimed he was two years younger as a result of his imprisonment. He did not count it as part of his life! What a wonderful way of looking at it. He separated the horrors of that from himself.

In WW2 Reg served in a bomb disposal unit and I have many photos that he took of the weapons and bombs that he was involved in dismantling and rendering harmless.

I have attached a photo of Reg at Plon where they found V2 warheads and he is pictured on the right.

Reg lived into his 90's and I have submitted this article as a tribute to him, a loved uncle and a very brave man who I admire greatly for his love of mankind.
Marc Pepperell (Surrey, England)

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