Guest sasha Posted 7 January , 2004 Share Posted 7 January , 2004 Iam researching the life of my husbands grandfather there has always been a bit of confusion we were told he changed his surname and deserted the army to be with my husbands grandmother however after lots of searching we think we may have cracked it ! but just need pointing in the right direction . with a little help from you and your readers . would it have been possible for a soldier to desert the army and then join the merchant navyunder a different christian name ? if so could he be tracked down we no his d.o.b and where he was billeted before he ran away with our grandmother also his parents names and birthplace but we have no other records .thanks sasha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorts Posted 7 January , 2004 Share Posted 7 January , 2004 Hi, It is entirely possible for a soldier to have deserted and then rejoined the merchant navy under a different name. However, it would only be possible to track down his army service record if you know his original name and only possible to track down his merchant navy record if you know his false name. DOB are recorded on both records. Great War service records can be found in WO 363 or WO 364 at the PRO and are listed alphabetically. However, the majority of these were destroyed in an air raid in 1940 - only 2.5 million remain. However, all the medal index cards remain and these are alphabetical and can give a reasonable amoutn of detail or at least provide further clues. Board of Trade records at the PRO for the merchant navy list less detail, but you may be able to trace the award of a mercantile marine war medal. In addition registration cards give date and place of birth, occupation (e.g. stoker, ship's steward etc.) and perhaps most usefully in your case a photograph. To reiterate - the key to all this is having both his original name and alias to discover both records. Either name by itself will most likely only reveal one record. hope this helps, Alex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 7 January , 2004 Share Posted 7 January , 2004 Sasha If you give us his name and any details you know, somebody may be able to give specific information and help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sasha Posted 8 January , 2004 Share Posted 8 January , 2004 re grandad his name when he enlisted around 1914? was John milligan born 1894 birkenhead mother margret father robert He married elsie Yarnold He was billeted at her home in sussex we were told .they eloped and he absconded from the army as there first child was on its wayand was born in 1917they ended up in liverpool where he joined the merchant navy as Sydney milligan . They did not marry until 1927and his rank was able seaman merchant service his residence at the time of his marriage was sailors home paradise street liverpool. atthe moment this is all the info we have . thanks sandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sasha Posted 8 January , 2004 Share Posted 8 January , 2004 reply to terry Denham re - grandad got my dates wrong john milligan dob june 1883 west derby liverpool ( thanks ) sasha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 8 January , 2004 Share Posted 8 January , 2004 Unfortunately individual records for Merchant Seaman 1914-1918 were destroyed a number of years ago - your best bet would be the medal index cards for the Merchantile Marine and BWM pair. Should give you details including name, DoB and home address - could be useful for tracking down an absent voters list entry, which will give you his ship at a given time. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sasha Posted 11 January , 2004 Share Posted 11 January , 2004 thanks Ian Iam new to this how do I go about searching the medal index cards or do I have to contact pro thanks sasha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 11 January , 2004 Share Posted 11 January , 2004 Sasha - Your best bet is to make a visit in person. The Merchantile Marine MICs are on microfiche, like the Army & RFC ones, so a search is not too difficult. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorts Posted 12 January , 2004 Share Posted 12 January , 2004 Unfortunately individual records for Merchant Seaman 1914-1918 were destroyed a number of years ago - your best bet would be the medal index cards for the Merchantile Marine and BWM pair. Should give you details including name, DoB and home address - could be useful for tracking down an absent voters list entry, which will give you his ship at a given time. The PRO also holds Merchant Navy Registration cards which also contain a photograph of the individual. Although these date from post-war (only just 192? I think) most surviving WW1 merchant seaman have an entry. Personally I've never researched one who survived the war and wasn't listed, but this could be luck. However, other than the photo they don't list much more info than that which Ian states is listed on the MIC. Rgds, Alex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sasha Posted 12 January , 2004 Share Posted 12 January , 2004 thanks for you help alex I just needed putting on the right track sasha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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