Robert Cecil Treglow, born on 6th January 1887, was admitted to King Edward’s School in January 1899. He was the youngest son of a large family of 10 children, and whilst at School lived with his mother, Elizabeth, his father, Charles, a civil engineer, and two of his sisters at 38, Wretham Road (and later at 3, Soho Avenue, Handsworth).
Robert was a pupil of the Classical School, studying a primarily classical, rather than scientific, curriculum. In his final year at School, Robert was in the same class as a young JRR Tolkien, who was five years his junior; Tolkien had just started at KES and was relatively advanced, having been educated at home all his life. Robert was generally not strong academically, and his best result was 15th out of 19 in his class for French. He left School in 1901 at the age of fourteen. The 1911 Census records that he became an engineer’s fitter, still living at home with his parents in Handsworth.
In 1915, Robert enlisted with the 14th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, along with many other Old Edwardians. He left for France later that year, landing at Boulogne with the three Birmingham City Battalions on 21st November. He was killed in action in the Somme Offensive on 22nd or 23rd July 1916. His body was never recovered but he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial with many of his former School friends. Robert left his estate of £65 to his brother, Henry.