John Thomas Trunley (14 October 1898 – 30 September 1944) was a British music hall and sideshow performer famed for his obesity and known during his lifetime as The Fat Boy of Peckham.[1][2]
John Thomas Trunley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 October 1898 Camberwell, London |
| Died | 30 September 1944 (aged 45) |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | The Fat Boy of Peckham |
| Occupation | Music hall performer |
| Years active | 1903 – 1927 |
| Known for | Proclaimed the heaviest person in Britain in 1915 |
As a child he gained weight rapidly and by the age of seven months he weighed 2 stone (28 lb; 13 kg). By the age of four he weighed 12 stone (170 lb; 76 kg) and was taken to be examined by Sir Frederick Treves, the same doctor who famously treated "Elephant Man" Joseph Merrick.
He made his music-hall debut in 1903 at the Yarmouth Hippodrome in December 1903,[3] and appeared at the Royal in Holborn the same year.[3] One of his jokes was, "I want to be a jockey."[citation needed] At some point[when?] he began to tour England under the management of entrepreneurs such as Fred Karno[4][5] and Buffalo Bill Cody.[5] However, at age "six and a half"[5] he was forced to begin attending school at the Reddins School in Peckham.[5] When Trunley started school he had a 44-inch (1,100 mm) chest and 46-inch (1,200 mm) waist.[5]
By December 1906 he was well-known enough for The Sketch to run a humorous item alleging that the London County Council (then occupied in expanding the electric tram service) was considering the construction of a "special service" specially to carry Trunley.[6]
After the First World War he negotiated a film contract playing small character parts. He married Florence Weeden (b. 1899)[5] and fathered one child, also named John.
Trunley died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1944.[5] He is buried in Camberwell New Cemetery.[5]
References
edit- ^ "The Thirty Three Stone Teen Who Rocketed to Celebrity". Southwark News. London. 15 October 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ Bondeson 2015, p. 28.
- ^ a b Will Noble (2 March 2017). "The Sad Story Of The Fat Boy Of Peckham". Londonist. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ John David Beasley (1980). Who Was Who in Peckham. London: Chener Books.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sheila Bruce. "John TRUNLEY aka The Fat Boy of Peckham". Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ Ernest A. Bryant (5 December 1906). "After Dinner". The Sketch. London: 240.
Will he cause the construction of another tramway system? Master Johnny Trundley [sic], the fat boy of Peckham. Some while ago it was decided by the local medical officer that Johnny Trundley, the fat boy of Peckham, was in a fit state to be sent to a school for the mentally defective, and the problem has now arisen as to how he is to be got there. [...] Certain opponents of the methods of the reigning members of the London County Council cannot understand why that body, which has shown itself desirous of running trams from anywhere to everywhere, should hesitate to start a special service for their protégé.
Bibliography
editBondeson, Jan (March 2015). "The Fat Boy of Peckham". Fortean Times (325). London. ISSN 0308-5899.