Help needed with finding further information

[Chris Doran]

A bit about Missanabie, with photos, on The Wreck Site. He's not on its list of People on Board, which seems to be only those killed in this case. They do include survivors on other pages, so might add William if you want to submit a mini-biography.

[Horsley2016]

So the little digging has unearthed a bit more information from a relative regarding William Thomas Kennedy.

It's a distinct possibility he could be our record on the 1915 crew lists. However, since then, some pages of his  Continuous Cert. of Discharge 'book' has been shown to me. The number on that is 896713. His birth is 1894 (to make him 18 in 1914?) His actual birth is definitely 1897.

On the book he is listed as William Thomas Kennedy. He is 5ft 5 and has grey eyes, auburn hair and listed as 'clasped hand, right arm' under 'Distinguishing marks' I thought this might have been a tattoo but I have seen a photograph of him on his daughters wedding day and he is linking her arm with his left, but the right arm is dropped and hand is clasped. Coincidence?

Anyway, in the book he has previous ships as HMS Eagle from 10.07.17 to 11.08.17. He is a Greaser and the description of voyage is 'Char???'
Then the only other listing is for HMS Colleen which in brackets has underneath it 'H M Tug Fylde.' He is a Greaser again from 12 Aug 1917 - 11th May 1918 and it says underneath 'medically unfit.' The description of voyage 'Admiralty Service.'

The back page is a bit blurry - I don't know the purposes of it, but it has the name William Thomas Kennedy and addresses 7 Awkwright St and 61 Kew St.I know he was at the former in 1917 as this is on the burial notes of his Son who died then.

Gosh, if anyone can help me progress further I'd be very much appreciated. I don't know if this information is useful or not?! I don't know if his number is traceable or what happened to his boats! Could it have been one of these torpedoed and injured him?

Attached is something Ancestry threw at me. He’s listed as ‘William J’ but that number - 896713 is his? He says it’s his Medal Roll but I’m not sure what it all means to be honest.

Many thanks for taking a look. As always, time is valuable to us all and I appreciate any knowledgable individuals time given over to helping me.

Mx

[tonepad]

The William Kennedy, age 19, born Liverpool who served as a Trimmer on the vessel Missanabie is on Sheet 19/20 of the scanned 1915 crewlist, which he signed as Wm Kennedy.

If you have another signature of William Thomas Kennedy, then the signatures can be compared to see if they are the same person.


Tony

[tonepad]

The medal record from Ancestry is for the Royal Navy in WW1.
If William Thomas Kennedy served in the RN in WW1 there should also be a RN Service Record available on Ancestry.


Tony

[ALAMO2008]

Over 60% of WW1 service records were burnt during the WW2 blitz. 

Have you found a Medal Roll Index record for him - I can't see one

He was b 1894 - not 1897 - have you viewed the 1939 entry for him?

Can't see a birth reg for him

Slightly Miss Quote - 60% of Service Records burnt.

RAF
Royal Navy
Merchant Navy
Soldiers still active after 1919
Those were not Housed in that Army Repository in Arnside Street
 they were KEPT elsewhere and Not Bombed.

It was Only Dead Soldiers to 1919
or Live Discharged Soldiers pre 1919
that were Stored in the Army Repository no longer needed.

Soldiers active after 1919 their Records not copied by Ancestry and those Records Still Exist and can Still be applied for by Relatives for a Fee

[AllanUK]

There are pension cards held on Fold3 (in conjunction with the Western Front association).

The first shows:

Name: Kennedy, W.T.
Service: M.M.R. [Mercantile Marine Reserve]
Number: 896713
Rating: Ld. Sto. [Leading Stoker]
Date of Discharge: 1/6/18
Birth Year: 1894
Address: 61 Kew Street, Liverpool
Disability: Fract. right femur
Attributable to service or aggravated by service: Attributable 80% (degree of disablement)
The rest of the card shows dates/ abbreviated notations by clerks in the pension department.
The reverse of the card shows that by 1921 his disablement was classed as 100%

The second card shows

Name: Kennedy, W.T.  (with added later) William Thomas
Number: 896713 or 806713 (I can find nothing for him under 806713)
Discharged: 11.5.18 (differs to first card)
Rate of pension: 30/- week (thirty shillings, equiv. to £1-50p) from 2.1.18 to 5.12.18; then 24/- week (twenty four shillings, equiv. to £1-20p)
There are a couple of codes written on by a pension clerk but no meaning to them.
A boat is noted 'Tug FLYDA' but I can not find any such boat. The nearest I can find is Tug Flyde (you have mentioned Tug Flyde).
The last note on the card is P.T.O. but the reverse of the card only shows three awards reference numbers.

Re: the image that you posted about his medals. This image is the Medal Rolls of the Mercantile Marine Reserve. The image snippets are courtesy of Ancestry.

ADDED -- as he was receiving a pension from 2.1.18, his broken femur must have occurred sometime in late 1917. Do you know what ship he might have been on in late 1917?

[AllanUK]

The 1939 Register shows him as living at 57 Kew Street, Liverpool with his wife Bertha, two daughters and there are 5 redacted entries.

William's entry shows his DOB as 9 April 1894  and his occupations as Disabled Naval Pensioner

[Horsley2016]

There are pension cards held on Fold3 (in conjunction with the Western Front association).

The first shows:

Name: Kennedy, W.T.
Service: M.M.R. [Mercantile Marine Reserve]
Number: 896713
Rating: Ld. Sto. [Leading Stoker]
Date of Discharge: 1/6/18
Birth Year: 1894
Address: 61 Kew Street, Liverpool
Disability: Fract. right femur
Attributable to service or aggravated by service: Attributable 80% (degree of disablement)
The rest of the card shows dates/ abbreviated notations by clerks in the pension department.
The reverse of the card shows that by 1921 his disablement was classed as 100%

The second card shows

Name: Kennedy, W.T.  (with added later) William Thomas
Number: 896713 or 806713 (I can find nothing for him under 806713)
Discharged: 11.5.18 (differs to first card)
Rate of pension: 30/- week (thirty shillings, equiv. to £1-50p) from 2.1.18 to 5.12.18; then 24/- week (twenty four shillings, equiv. to £1-20p)
There are a couple of codes written on by a pension clerk but no meaning to them.
A boat is noted 'Tug FLYDA' but I can not find any such boat. The nearest I can find is Tug Flyde (you have mentioned Tug Flyde).
The last note on the card is P.T.O. but the reverse of the card only shows three awards reference numbers.

Re: the image that you posted about his medals. This image is the Medal Rolls of the Mercantile Marine Reserve. The image snippets are courtesy of Ancestry.

ADDED -- as he was receiving a pension from 2.1.18, his broken femur must have occurred sometime in late 1917. Do you know what ship he might have been on in late 1917?

Thank you so very much for accessing your Fold3 subscription for me. This is absolutely him as the large and very close family were in and around the streets of Kew St all their lives

If his injury occurred circa 1917, the only clue I have is in that record log book. On HMS Fylde (tug boat) he is there from 12 August 1917 as a Greaser to 11th May 1918 where he was declared 'medically unfit' Do you think this may have been where the injury took place?

The only boat I have on record before that is between July and 11 August 1917 is HMS Eagle (which I researched and found it was an early Royal Navy aircraft carrier - however, it wasn't bought in Chile until 1918 so I've no idea what's going on with the details attached to that! Unless there was another 'HMS Eagle!'   *NOTE* I have just found an HMS Eaglet in Liverpool, a RN training ship, which makes sense. It was known as HMS Eagle but gave up it's name when they bought the aircraft carrier! **

Thank you again for taking the time - incredible detail gained.

M

[AllanUK]

[/quote]Thank you so very much for accessing your Fold3 subscription for me. This is absolutely him as the large and very close family were in and around the streets of Kew St all their lives

If his injury occurred circa 1917, the only clue I have is in that record log book. On HMS Fylde (tug boat) he is there from 12 August 1917 as a Greaser to 11th May 1918 where he was declared 'medically unfit' Do you think this may have been where the injury took place?

The only boat I have on record before that is between July and 11 August 1917 is HMS Eagle (which I researched and found it was an early Royal Navy aircraft carrier - however, it wasn't bought in Chile until 1918 so I've no idea what's going on with the details attached to that! Unless there was another 'HMS Eagle!'   *NOTE* I have just found an HMS Eaglet in Liverpool, a RN training ship, which makes sense. It was known as HMS Eagle but gave up it's name when they bought the aircraft carrier! **

Thank you again for taking the time - incredible detail gained.

M
[/quote]

I doubt if you will ever be able to discover exactly when / where he fractured his femur. The pension card details certainly point towards his injury being in 1917 as his first pension was paid from 2 January 1918. We know for certain that he was serving on Tug Fylde in 1917 and possibly with the training ship. I have searched newspapers by using his name and also by including Tug Fylde / Fylde / Eaglet / Eagle / training ship but nothing comes up.

I wish you well in your search and please post anything that you may find.

Allan