John Anderson RNVR Auchterarder

[b1b2j3]

Andrew Cousin, you are magnificent! Re: John Anderson RNVR Auchterarder. Cars and notes. sula sgeir has not contacted but that doesn't matter.

Bron

[abe23]

I was at the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh last week and was looking at the Kirk Session Minutes for Blackford quickly. I found the following baptisms of children to John Anderson & Margaret Eadie at Gleneagles House,
William baptised 15 Jan 1857
Mary Stewart baptised 2 June 1858
John baptised 10 May 1860
Margaret baptised 29 March 1864

[b1b2j3]

After all that Family exposure, data, assistance for and to people, history and even down to cars, did AKA 'Sula Sgeir' of RootsChat, ever contact you? As a person I mean. Anyone?

[sula sgeir]

Even got the phone number if we want to order some eggs !

[b1b2j3]

Even got the phone number if we want to order some eggs !

So glad to hear from you. I'll have a dozen brown, speckled. Do you sell chooks? If so, may I order a male with red and blue and two female, black? Oh, frieght costs? I think it best if they are accompanied, its a very long trip to Newcastle, Australia. Please bring sun cream, a hat and togs. Bron

[sula sgeir]

Re reply  64 thank you for the information on the baptism records for John Anderson. See also entries 5 and 6 dated 7 March 2009 by Monica identifying my Grandfather's birth and the census of 1891, and the comment by Monica " your John I hope !" - it certainly seems to be.

Re the further information about the car in the photograph at Stanley Park this also very interesting - perhaps on this main 'blog' rather than pm as it has a wider interest - which is what I'm trying to achieve in this whole tribute to my Grandfather, to see who can come up with interesting facts and snippets of family / documentary history, but my remit is really  John Anderson, his parents, his sisters Margaret and Janet, whom I knew as my Aunts Meg and Jenny. Otherwise it just spreads out into lists of names and addresses which are not of any real significance.   

The entry about the medals for Margaret Eadie Anderson (my Great Aunt ( Auntie Meg)- ie John's sister, whom I knew and who died just after I had joined the Army) was v interesting and information as to her service , and how to obtain information on her war service medal/s.

I also hope to find letters she wrote me with details of their childhood,  which I think are in store.

Also a studio photograph of her in her QA uniform which I also intend to post on this blog.

That's about it for now. Best wishes. 

[sula sgeir]

first two pages of John's journal starting with events of almost a hundred years ago

[sula sgeir]

Unfortunately there seems to be a glitsch and the program not responding to upload the document held on file - so will (probably) have to  transcribe the journal - aplolgies. 

[sula sgeir]

I have decided to transcribe John Anderson's  journal ;


                                            Voyage to Vancouver in a Coaster

On November 1st 1910 I arrived in Stirling from my first voyage to sea as an Engineer. The voyage had turned out to be a much longer one than any of us had expected, fifteeen months. This meant I had sufficient time served to enable me to sit the examination for a second class Board of Trade Certificate. Making my headquarters with my uncle in Stirling I travelled to Glasgow every day while studying and in six weeks was successful.
       
Christmas and New Year safely past and funds getting low, I began looking round for another ship resolved to have nothing more to do with Tramp Steamers after my experience on my first voyage. Was just on the point of signing up with one of the big Mail Steamships when fate in the guise of well meaning relations persuaded me to give up that idea and go out to Vancouver in a small steamer which had just been purchased in this country. She was being overhauled and would be trading on the coast of British Columbia.

 Wages and conditions were considered to be very good in Canadian ships.  If a name counts for anything my new ship should have been a swell one.  The " British Empire" was lying at Grangemouth, and to that port I proceeded full of expectation, but dear me what a shock when my eyes first beheld the little ship in which we were going to make a voyage of about fifteen thousand miles, during which we would traverse two Oceans and pass through one of the most dangerous Straits on the map.

There she was a dirty little vessel, amidships a narrow strip of a bridge, two masts, one well forard the other abaft the bridge, machinery and funnel at the after end. She was being loaded with coal to be used as bunkers on the voyage. This did not help her appearance.
 
(to be continued)