Edmund Trebus
Encyclopedia
Edmund Zygfryd Trebus was a Polish
-born English
man and compulsive hoarder
, who came to fame when he was featured on the British television
documentary
series A Life of Grime
.
invaded Poland in 1939 Trebus was conscripted into the Wehrmacht
.
He was then captured and served with the Allied forces in Italy
, in an anti-tank unit of the II Corps of the Polish armed forces, which was under British command.
After moving to England just after the Second World War, Trebus married. He and his wife had five children. After Trebus' wife died, his children seldom visited.
Trebus had been "a collector" all his life and he was often to be seen pushing a hand cart filled with his latest acquisitions, which he would carefully sort into separate piles in his garden and home. One of Trebus' major loves was Elvis Presley
, and he managed to collect and store away almost every single record ever recorded by the artist.
In his eighties, living alone in a run-down house in Crouch End
in north London
, he was constantly in trouble with the environmental health
department of the London Borough of Haringey
, because of complaints about the rubbish surrounding his home. He lived in a tiny area on the ground floor in his house, surrounded by piles of rubbish, because he never threw anything away. In the BBC
documentary series A Life Of Grime
, Trebus was repeatedly shown arguing with council workers who had been instructed to clear his house of the 515 cubic yards of rubbish it contained. He was eventually re-housed at the Trentfield Nursing Home in Southfield, Haringey
, where he died at the age of 83.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
man and compulsive hoarder
Compulsive hoarding
Compulsive hoarding is the acquisition of possessions in excess of socially normative amounts, even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary...
, who came to fame when he was featured on the British television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series A Life of Grime
A Life of Grime
A Life of Grime is a BBC reality series following the work of environmental health inspectors...
.
Biography
When Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded Poland in 1939 Trebus was conscripted into the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
.
He was then captured and served with the Allied forces in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in an anti-tank unit of the II Corps of the Polish armed forces, which was under British command.
After moving to England just after the Second World War, Trebus married. He and his wife had five children. After Trebus' wife died, his children seldom visited.
Trebus had been "a collector" all his life and he was often to be seen pushing a hand cart filled with his latest acquisitions, which he would carefully sort into separate piles in his garden and home. One of Trebus' major loves was Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, and he managed to collect and store away almost every single record ever recorded by the artist.
In his eighties, living alone in a run-down house in Crouch End
Crouch End
Crouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west...
in north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he was constantly in trouble with the environmental health
Environmental health
Environmental health is the branch of public health that is concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment that may affect human health...
department of the London Borough of Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
, because of complaints about the rubbish surrounding his home. He lived in a tiny area on the ground floor in his house, surrounded by piles of rubbish, because he never threw anything away. In the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary series A Life Of Grime
A Life of Grime
A Life of Grime is a BBC reality series following the work of environmental health inspectors...
, Trebus was repeatedly shown arguing with council workers who had been instructed to clear his house of the 515 cubic yards of rubbish it contained. He was eventually re-housed at the Trentfield Nursing Home in Southfield, Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
, where he died at the age of 83.