Was my Gr.Grandad in Merchant navy in WW2 ?

[seaweed]

Thanks Mum. Glad to help.
O/N 129547 was a passenger steamer named SCOTIAN at the time in question she was owned by Candian Pacific and her regular route was UK/Canada and return.
 
This thread gets more intriguing.

The vessel with the O/N 143283 was a Tug named ST ANNE. She was built for the British Admiralty but it seems she went to Canada sometime in 1919/20. and was scrapped there in 1962.
 We know that HGH was involved as a British Merchant Seaman in WW1 via his WW1 medal listing. The central records of Merchant Seamen 1913-1918 have been destroyed. The only way to find out what vessels he served on in WW1 is to back track via the crew agreements of ST ANNE 1920. These should give the name of his previous vessel.
These are in Newfoundland.
http://www.mun.ca/mha/holdings/viewcombinedcrews.php?Official_No=143283

So. A couple of unanswered questions

Who was ETHEL? re my post 11.


Did you find any evidence of his possible service with the Australian MN?

[agoryliver]

  Hi,

  I have tried to find HGH's merchant navy records for WW2 by looking on "World War 2 Nominal roll" and Australian Maritime Safety Authority" websites. There is a Henry George Hull but he's way too young was born in Victoria and was a soldier. I have also tried to find him i lists of immigrants from 1940 to 1945, again without success.

  Regarding the details of his address and next of kin given when he signed off the BRITANNIC 30/7/1940, the address of 57 Dean Road, Bitterne, Southampton is 100% right. In fact I also lived there until the age of 9 when the place burnt down! There is a small cul-de-sac of houses there now called Peppard Close. Harder to explain is why he gave his next of kin as Ethel. His wife was Rose Edith Hull, so perhaps, for some reason , he purposely gave false information or was Ethel his "bit on the side" that he apparently had in Liverpool? It would be impossible to prove though.

  The info about the tug called St. Anne is interesting. My Mum reminded me that in July 1987 I did my work experience for Red Funnel Tugs in Southampton and that one of the several ships we brought in was the QE2.

[Billyblue]

Hi Gary
"I have also tried to find him in lists of immigrants from 1940 to 1945, again without success. "

If HGH came to Australia as crew and signed off / jumped ship when he got here, he probably wouldn't come up in migrant lists at all as he wouldn't have filled in the same paperwork that migrants coming by 'normal traveller routes' would have to. 

Remember also, this was wartime, when some practices probably 'went by the book' and corners were cut, etc.

With regard to Edith / Ethel, maybe one was a nickname and he forgot that fine detail when giving her name to authorities ?

Just a couple of thoughts
Dawn M.