Good morning, The message below I originally posted in the England forum but it was suggested I would have better luck posting it here.
William Louis Cross b May 6 1893 by family stories ran away from home (Norwood Ontario, Canada) and joined the Navy at age 12! He surfaces in 1921 back in his home town, visiting parents and marries. His marriage registration says he is a widower and it has been confirmed by the family. He apparently had a son with his first wife (name unknown) in England and nothing more is known of the child. While he is visiting his parents at this time a newspaper report in the local paper mentions he had served in the Royal Navy in ww1, Of special interest is the fact he survived THREE ship sinkings: "Mr Cross sailed the seas for several years and during the war with the Royal Navy. Three of the vessels upon which he sailed were torpedoed and each time he had a narrow escape form the fishes - once near Gibraltor and twice in the Mediterranean."
I would assume he was a recipient of medals and may have received some special recommendation for his survivals, but I can find no information to that effect. Not knowing the names of any ships makes it particularly difficult. Websites I have accessed to date for military/naval records have drawn a blank. The mention of having sailed the seas and the Royal Navy made me suspect he was in the Merchant Marine at one time. Hoping I can get some assistance to find out more about this ancestor's unique past, ships he served on, etc.
