Truss, GM

2nd Lieutenant George Marquand Truss

Born on January 27^th 1891, George was the eldest son, and second child, of a produce agent and merchant also named George Truss and his wife, Annie. He spent time at Sussex House School, in Seaford, Sussex, before coming to the College in September 1905. He was at Dulwich for the next two years, leaving in the summer of 1907 whilst a member of the Modern Lower Fifth. From school he went to work in the City and spent two years working at Lloyd’s on behalf of De Rougemont & Co. In 1909 he left this role and joined M.P. Evans & Co. where he was employed as a commercial clerk at their head office on Mincing Lane. During this period he also spent almost four years, from 1910 until his resignation of the role in early 1914, as a reservist in the Westminster Dragoons.

Upon the declaration of war later in 1914 George rejoined his old unit and was sent to Egypt that September. After serving through that winter in Egypt his unit was sent to Gallipoli in 1915 and saw prolonged action around Suvla Bay. After some months of service he was invalided to Malta, suffering from jaundice, and that December returned to England to convalesce. In January 1916 he took up a commission in the Scots Guards with whom he went over to France that August, where, as a fully qualified machine gun officer, he was attached to Machine Gun Company of the 3^rd Guards Brigade. On September 25^th he was killed in action whilst leading his men through a heavy enemy barrage at Les Boeufs, on the Somme.