Grandfathers Death Abroad At Sea

[Billiegirl]

Thanks for clarifying that Seaweed - what a fount of knowledge you are! Those records I referred to will not help Ashhill unfortunately, but hopefully they may help other researchers reading this.

Ashhill, don't give up your search. A lot of us seem to struggle when it comes to finding deaths/burials and relatives who disappear without trace.

  Billiegirl

[ashhill80]

Thanks for your help anyways guys. Don't know if it helps, but Sidney/ SYdney was in the Marines as an Enginneer back in 1908, as this is what's listed as his occupation on Wedding Cert, on his Sons 1923 Death Cert, is listed as Steamship Engineer. Also he married his Wife Mary at Southampton Registry Office, however as far as I know Mary was from Somerset and shortly thereafter lived Birmingham. Also the 1908 Marriage Cert lists George Hill, Syds Father as being Deceased already by this time. Also found it interesting that Sidney married at so late an age, he was 41 at the time he got married, which even today is kind of on the old side, makes me wonder if there was a reason for this, perhaps a spell in Prison or some such. My Grandfather refused to ever talk about his Father and so obviously must be reason for this and wondering what the scandal could be?!

[seaweed]

You wrote
SYdney was in the Marines as an Enginneer back in 1908,

Do you mean "Mercantile Marine"?

 In 1928, I believe, King George V bestowed the title of the "Merchant Navy" on the British merchant shipping fleets in recognition of their service in the First World War. The service was formally known as the Mercantile Marine

If so you need to look in the series BT141 (Index) and BT 139 or BT142 to establish his certificate number. Once you have this it may be possible to establish which vessels he served on and hopfully track down his demise. As far as I know these records are not available on line. So it would mean a visit to Kew

[Billiegirl]

Hi again Seaweed - I'm just wondering if you've ever come across any apprenticeship records for Mercantile marine engineers? Or did they just learn their trade "on the job"?

It appears that my relative was an engineer with Andrew Leslie ship builders on the Tyne before his last voyage, so I'm interested in following his career path, and it might give Ashhill a new angle too.

[ashhill80]

Honestly not sure Seeweed, Just lists his Occu as Marine Engineer, perhaps he was Mercantile and just wrote Marine Engineer for short. Can't get to Kew, am living in States now, so makes it difficult. Wish there was something online which could help me find Sidney or George. Seaweed, if either George or Idney had died at Sea, could they have been buried at Sea? Or were bodies buried typically at next call of Port, or would have even waited until arrived back and buried where lived locally? What was the standard practise back then? Also wouldn't Sidneys Wife have to have registered his death locally? Or would she have to have gone to wherever it was that he died or Port if his body was indeed unloaded and buried somewhere that wasn't local?

[seaweed]

ashill80,
 Given the time frame, usually, if a person died at sea they would be buried at sea and the circumstances of the death would  be recorded in the ships logbook, which in turn would be given to the RGSS to record the death (sometimes months later when the ship returned to a UK port)
Periodically, the RGSS would forward lists to the Registrars General of BMD in either England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland depending where the deceased was previously living.
If a person died ashore and was buried there, it should be recorded locally and if a British Consul was present it may be recorded in  British Overseas BMD.
Seafaring by it's very nature doe's not lend itself easily to religiously recording facts. I am sure there were circumstances where the facts were distorted.
Billiegirl,
He would have more than likely served an apprenticeship. you need to look at BT150 at Kew. Be aware that not all records have survived

[Billiegirl]

Many thanks Seaweed, I'll check that out.

Hope you can solve your mystery Ashhill!