"seaman merchant service"

[humbug]

sorry for the daft question - but I am of the pilosophy - if you don't ask you don't learn!!!

i have a birth certificate and the father's occupation is listed as "seaman merchant service"

I have two questions

1. - does this mean he was in the merchant navy?? or could it be entirely different

2 - i only ask the above as i googled the term and i kept coming up with the tna site and when i looked it appeared to be for the royal navy - but i did find a robert wright that fitted my era and from my area (although I accept it IS a common name)

thanks in advance for any advice

[celia]

Hi Humbug
what a nice change to have a man put the proper occupation on paper A lot just put waterman, seaman,There are only 2 navy's Royal and Merchant.A merchant seaman is a man that is employed by the owner of the boat/ship that they were on.  Put  another way a man that sails on any water going vessel whatever it might be From  cruise ship to a tug is a merchant seaman. Unless you know any of the vessels he was on or who he was employed by M.S are hard to locate.

Celia

[humbug]

hi celia

thats great - thankyou for your informative answer

i have been doing a bit of preliminary research - he's hard to track in the censuses - i guess he was at sea at the time . 

i think i have his parents - again his father (if it was him) was also away at sea i am guessing too - as when i have found him he was also a seaman - as were many of the wrights further down the more recent line

thank you again