P&O Crew Lists - 1880-94 approx. tips on researching ?

[hatofthecat]

Thanks for the steer seaweed, looks like a visit to Kew then !

[hatofthecat]

I'm just returning to this thread of research.

Looks like the JB Norris I found as an Assistant Engineer in 1886 on the Orleans was definitely him as his name is in his own hand on the image of the crew list for both joining and leaving the ship and handwriting matches his name as he wrote it on the of original of marriage register a few years before.

From Ancestry I also found he did actually sail with P&O in 1881 on the liner Carthage on her maiden voyage from London to Sydney, Australia .  He's listed on crew list at Sydney as a "Supplementary 3rd Engineer" with name again as JB Norris born Cardiff aged 29... there simply aren't any others born there/then so that's definitely him. 

A visit to Greenwich now definitely beckons as they have the P&O "Engineers Registers" from 1845 through to 1931 under catalogue references P&O/76/1-13   http://collections.rmg.co.uk/archive/objects/519483.html