Author Topic: Deciphering words and names on form  (Read 991 times)

Offline dodger123

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Deciphering words and names on form
« on: Tuesday 05 March 19 00:57 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I'm unable to decipher some of the words or names of the people listed on my Grandfathers WW1 service record attached.  The first line I can't make out at all, the second looks like 'agent ……. Thomas and l think what looks like Bro. The third line c/o W B Mc.... Ltd. The last part is the Royal Liver Building Liverpool.  This information will enable me to research who my Grandfather worked for and did before the war. Any help in working this out would be much appreciated.

Offline bbart

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Re: Deciphering words and names on form
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 05 March 19 02:30 GMT (UK) »
?? Findlay  (could the first word be the abbr. for Sargeant?)
Agent Mssr. Thomas Br??  (It could be Bros., but then he is saying Mr. Thomas Bros.  ???)
c/o W. B. (McIver & Cory) or (McIverKosy) Ltd.   (both my guesses are wrong, but it's a starting point)
Royal Liver Buildings
Liverpool

Edit: I think it is WB McIver & Co. Ltd....  I can see references to a Liverpool firm of that name, but my internet is flaky at the moment, and can't get to the sites....

Offline dodger123

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Re: Deciphering words and names on form
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 05 March 19 02:57 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Bbart for taking the time to have a look it is much appreciated. I will have a look at the WB Mclver & co and see what I can come up with.

Offline horselydown86

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Re: Deciphering words and names on form
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 05 March 19 03:06 GMT (UK) »
Perhaps:  McIver & Coy Ltd

I'm not sure whether it is Bros on the second line, but Messrs Thomas Bros does make sense.

They are the more than one Mr Thomas (their surname) who happen to be brothers.

The British Newspaper Archive (also on FindMyPast) should help if nothing else can be found.


Offline bbart

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Re: Deciphering words and names on form
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 05 March 19 03:08 GMT (UK) »
The timing might be wrong though.  It looks like it (WB Mciver Co. Ltd) was sold to the Lever Bros. in 1910.  Possibly he made a new company (although I would have thought legally he would have to have a new company name?)
There are a lot of hits for the Royal Liver Buildings, but so far, nothing with McIver anything, nor Thomas Bros.  I'll keep looking, but it's not looking promising.
Do you know what date that part of your Grandfather's form was written?

Offline Ruskie

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Re: Deciphering words and names on form
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 05 March 19 03:09 GMT (UK) »
I am not confident in my interpretation, but I thought that the first word might be Engr (ie Engineer).

The rest of my post, written before seeing horseleydown's post:

I agree with bbart with the rest of it except for one tiny point - I think it is Messrs. Presumably there is more than one Mr. Thomas (who are brothers) involved in the company.


Offline bbart

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Re: Deciphering words and names on form
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 05 March 19 03:10 GMT (UK) »
Messrs

I missed the s on the end; I thought it was a fancy ending to the r
I'll try find Thomas Bros in the papers as well then.  :)

Offline bbart

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Re: Deciphering words and names on form
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 05 March 19 03:30 GMT (UK) »
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C13359401
So WB McIvor and Co Ltd was still around in 1917. 
Although it looks more like Coy on your paper, it could be some weird abbreviation for Company?

I only found two entries during the war years for Thomas Bros.  Basically just mentions of ships arriving, one was  "Bessie, 71, grain (Thomas Bros.) of Liverpool", and the other was  "Gladys. 71, light (Thomas Bros.), from Liverpool"  I'm assuming Bessie and Gladys were ship names.  There is absolutely nothing to these to McIvor, nor the Royal Liver Building though, although it looks like a lot of shipping related companies were based there.

Offline bbart

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Re: Deciphering words and names on form
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 05 March 19 03:40 GMT (UK) »
Just found a Mssrs. Thomas Bros. on Everton Street.  They are printers. (1914)

(If I find any more, I will just edit this post, instead of making a bunch of new posts).

One more:
Long biography style death notice for a Mr. Thomas in a 1915 Lieverpool paper, of which the last two paragraphs read:
As Mr. Thomas was well known in the city, having been associated with Liverpool shipping for sixty years, the news of his death was received with regret in maritime circles.  The shipping and Welsh communities will be very much poorer by his removal from among them.
Mr. Thomas leaves a widow, a daughter, and three sons.  Mr. RJ Thomas, the eldest son, co-managing director with his father, will continue the business.  The other two sons are shipbrokers in London, under the the style of Messrs. Thomas Bros. and Co., Leadenhall-Street, London.