merchant navy Dwinsk 1918

[caytiesmum]

CAN ANYONE ADVISE ME?
My grandfather John Reid died after the Dwinsk was torpedoed in June 1918. I have googled the ship's name and found out about the sinking and the ship's history. I have visited the Commonwealth War Graves site.
Where else could i find out anything else about him? Would there be any record of his time in the merchant navy anywhere? I know very little about him and have never had any contact with anyone from that side of the family.

[mmm45]

Hi
He would hasve been entitled to medals probably Mercantile  Marine war medal and British war medal his records will probably be at the NA Kew in Board Of Trade Docs.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,119476.0.html

There was a thread running earlier.

BT 339 AND BT351 spring to mind but youll have to visit or get a  :(researcher
Ady

[caytiesmum]

Thank you I am fairly near Kew so it will be interesting to do the research.

But I am now confused because I am looking at a photo of my grandfather in uniform . This may be a silly question sorry  -It has HMS PEMBROKE on the cap.  But he was on a merchant ship when he died. He went to Liverpool in 1911 or 12 from Dublin. Would someone have been discharged mid-  war? Or did the merchant navy train at the hms pembroke base in Chatham ?
If anyone can explain I would be grateful.

[mmm45]

He may have had time in the Royal Navy beforehand??

Sailors in wartime rarely wore their ship names so it could be a 1914 or earlier pic?

Where was he born and have you a year? RN records are searchable online.

I see he was 35 When he died so previous service seems possible.

[caytiesmum]

THANKS AGAIN!

I know virtually  nothing apart from from what is on the war graves site. He was still in Dublin in 1911 with wife and baby son. (Son died in Liverpool in 1913 aged 2) age in 1911 given as 30 occupation labourer. Am fairly sure that I  have found them in 1911 because details I  know about wife /child fit. So I guess he could have been older than 35 when he died.

My mum was born in July 1918, her mother died in 1919. Mum and her sister were brought up by  my grandmother' s sister. Mum had no contact at all with the  Reids  and died without knowing any of the details about her father (as far as I know).

[mmm45]

Theres a few John Reids Navy Records but none give Dublin as place of birth there are a few with birth places in the North...Belfast,Cookstown etc it COULD be one of those.Pembroke as you are probably aware was in Chatham a Navy training centre of the time am not sure if MN lads went there to train?

His rank is given as Able Seaman we need a MN expert to clarify if the MN had this rank or he could have been Royal Navy,Royal Naval Reserve or Royal Naval Voluntary Reserve serving on a Merchant Ship.(Sorry to cofuse things )

Ady

[caytiesmum]

Thank you anyway, It's interesting  because Mum always said he was in Navy.  I found CWGC  a few years ago by chance and typed in his name was surprised  and very saddened  yet delighted to find out
anything about him. Pity I was never able to share information with Mum. 1911 census gives his birth place as Dublin. Maybe MN did train at Pembroke.  I will have to visit Kew. It's closer than Dublin.!

[mmm45]

http://www.fleetairarm.com/researchindex.htm

It may be worth contacting the above link at the Fleet Air Arm Museum
They are very helpful and have found me records of RNR lads ive researched.

Good luck.

Ady

[caytiesmum]

I'll do that thank you will post again if I  find anything. Hubby is trawling the cwgc site and finding others who died with him The ship was  an armed cruiser. Thank you again Ady