Memory Project Archive
Margarita “Madge” Trull (née Janes) (Primary Source)
In 2010, The Memory Project interviewed Margarita “Madge” Trull (née Janes), a veteran of the Second World War. The following recording (and transcript) is an excerpt from this interview. Marge was born to English parents on 24 July 1922 in Valparaíso, Chile, but was educated in England. In 1943, at 21 years old, she and her sister enlisted in the Women’s Royal Naval Service at Portsmouth, England. That year, she met RCAF Flight Lieutenant John Cameron Trull at a dance. The two were engaged by Christmas. In February 1944, John’s plane engine stalled while on a mission over Belgium. With the help of the Resistance, he eventually returned to England, where he reunited with Madge. The couple married on 30 September 1944. Madge’s two brothers also served in the Royal Air Force and Merchant Navy, respectively. In her testimony, she discusses the secrecy involved in her work as an “Intelligence Writer.” She also describes the challenges of working with “Bombes,” electromechanical devices used to decode German messages written with Enigma ciphers. The WRENs were a critical force in eventually breaking Enigma and intercepting German communications. After the war, Madge and John Trull moved to Canada. Margarita “Madge” Trull died in Mississauga, Ontario, in March 2023 at 100 years of age. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
