Genealogy Chat

Hi Everyone

Has anyone ever purchased there ancestors merchant Navy Records from the Southampton Archives.

My Great Granddad served on the S S Wenning in 1918.

I want to know Has anyone had any success in getting there ancestors service records from this archive? And what did these records contain?

Mark

Do you know for definite that they do actually provide these records. Will be down there next week if you want me to have a look for you.

Hi Julie

Thanks,that is very kind of you. The National Archives only hold a random 10% selection,the Archives state that the Southampton Archives hold the remaining survived records.

I know my Great Granddad John Davis spent many years in the merchant Navy as a Stoker/fireman, on his daughters birth certificate Eileen who was born 26/07/1918 that John was serving onboard the S S Wenning as a stationary engine stoker.

John was born 01/08/1886 in Goole Yorkshire and is the son of Thomas Davis and Ada Appleyard, his wife his Laura Elizabeth Davis nee Taylor.

John was born and brought up in Goole but was living in Bradford Yorkshire after 1918. Before 1918 when he was in navy there are no records but between 1918-1920 his service pouch/records should exist.

Thanks again

Mark Davis

Hi Julie

My great granddads records should be held in 'The Fourth Register of Seaman' in the BT350 or CR10 catalogue.

Mark

I have been to Southampton and asked for Merchant Navy records and for us the information was all on one index card.
We were interested in several people and all of them only had an index card...sort of large postcard size.... and the information varied as to how much detail was logged.
Sometimes date and place of birth were listed.
The various ships on which the seaman served were listed, together with dates and on the reverse of the card, ...BIG bonus for us, was a photo of the Merchant seaman.

We were allowed to take digital photos of the cards,including photos, but there is also a service there with the staff making copies and sending them through the post., at a reasonable cost.
If I remember correctly, some men had 2 cards, ( each from different sections)
One was record of service, ..the other was a discharge card.

Gwyn

Thanks Gwyn,thats the index card i am after and a photo of my Great Granddad when he was young would be a bonus and also would be interested on what ships he served on before WW1 as i will be able to find him using the CLIP website in which i found my Great Great Granddad Thomas Davis.

The index Card would be worth the £15 they ask for.

Thanks again

Mark

All our information was free, including our digital photos, apart from an extra photo that we ordered.

If someone can look for you and photograph the cards, you could save money.
One obviously has to pay for staff time at the archives, otherwise.

I hope you find what you need.

Gwyn

Hi Gwyn

Julie has already offered,glad the info is free when not ordering by post.
As long as Julie doesn't have to go too far out of her way and doesn't cost her anything other than her time then i don't have to feel guilty.

I live in Yorkshire and if anyone wanted me to visit any of the West Yorkshire Archive center's i would happily do so when i have the time. I found my ggg granddads asylum records at the Wakefield Archives.

Mark

Will take a look and see what they have for you. The opening hours of the archives have been reduced so will probably be Wednesday or Thursday.

Thanks Julie. If you or your friends have ancestors in Yorkshire i can do the same for you and visit a west yorkshire archives centre, I have a lot of experience with yorkshire genealogy as i am almost all Yorkshire through and through.

Mark

I hope you find the details at Southampton. My own experience of finding these records has been from microfim at Kew. I think that more are held than the 10% sample, certainly after 1912.

I looked up the SS Wenning out of interest. Its Official Number is 91310 and the crew lists are all held at the Maritime Archive in Newfoundland. If you want to get copies, they are are very efficient and helpful. They can trace a seaman back through his career, for a fee.

Hi Dave.

Thanks for the advice, I did not know the official number,i will look at the Newfoundland website. All i know about S S Wenning is a picture i have of the ship and that at about the time my Great Granddad served on the ship it collided with another ship,i think its called S S Yolkfleet.

I did know of the Newfoundland website but without the official number i was not able to go further, the CLIP website is helpful for those who have ancestors who served on Vessels both at sea and inland before 1918. Southampton do hold records,but how many i don't know,if i remember KEW has 10% and Southampton has 10% but i might be wrong.

Cheers to everyone for your kind advice.

Mark

I will be happy if my great granddads index card is at Southampton,if not then i will try Newfoundland, would be interested if he was on board when the Wenning collided with the Yolkfleet.