Merchant seamen records in Australia

[Nanna52]

Does anyone know if there are online records for merchant seamen in Australia?
In particular I am interested in the time frame 1921 to 1934.  My cousin Horace Thomas Vincent arrived in Freemantle, WA January 1921 and returned to England November 1934.  He was in the merchant navy before he left and returned when he went back to England.  I am wondering if he also served whilst in Australia, hence my query.

Thanks for your help

[warncoort]

Google "merchant seamen,western australia"

[Nanna52]

Thanks warncoort, I will search and see what I can find.

[Jang]

Could this be your cousin in the Western Australia electoral rolls? Possibly not as he is listed in 1936/1937.

1925 Horace Thomas Vincent, 7 Mile Camp, Peel Estate, Jandakot, farmer, with Kathleen Vincent, married

1931 Horace Thomas Vincent, 18 South Terrace, Fremantle, lodginghouse-keeper with Kathleen Vincent, married

1936 and 1937 Horace Thomas Vincent, Lakeside, Wiluna, fitter

[Nanna52]

Thanks, I had found those Jang and put them aside as confusing.  His wife was Kathleen (nee Fox).  That's another thing, I don't know whether he came back alone, but I do know he was back in England when WW2 broke out.  He had cousins who went over to WA in the 1930's and there is conjecture that they may have met up, but no one knows.
He was an engineer in the merchant navy so I find it difficult to think he was a farmer, I would imagine that his wife may have run the lodging house with his help.  I know his mother ran a boarding house for a while.  A fitter fits in with his engineering background.  I guess I will never know as there were no children.

[rosball]

A possibility Nanna 

A Horace Vincent who was proprietor of the Imperial Cafe in Fremantle in 1932 and also a boating man.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32663301

Ros

[Nanna52]

Thanks Rosball, I think I will have to dig a little deeper with his time in Australia.  I wonder if Kathleen didn't like him being at sea and he was trying other opportunities.

[Billyblue]

Nanna, re your original query about merchant seamen in Australia records.

I don't KNOW, but I think, that there may not be a central 'agency' - each line would keep its own records.  And even then, you'd have to be lucky.

Instance: my daughter's father was in merchant navy on P&O ships but when we tried to find him about 20 years ago, P&O said they'd never heard of him.   Yet I knew he had worked for them for at least 2 years, and could tell them which of their ships he had been on!      

Dawn M

[sparrett]

Wonder if this is the same chap.

Did he have a catering role in the services?

Cafe proprietor
1929
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32272497

1932
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32663301

Sue