Genealogy Chat

Hi, perhaps someone could tell me how I can access records for my grand father who was in the Royal Navy. Are naval records available on line?Also would this give me his date and place of birth.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Donna

Hi Donna

Try this site:

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/royal_navy.html

My dad was in the Navy during WW2, I got his records from here (cost £20). They don't show much, as the site warns, but do have his date and place of birth. There are some records online, but mainly for officers. The National Archives may have information on individual ships, but I suggest you get his service record first. When you have it, please note that not all the "ships" are ships, some may be training bases or camps.

Hope this helps.

Maggie

Thanks Maggie.

I think I will give this a try, as I have drawn a blank everywhere else so far.

Regards.

Donna.

Donna

Do you have an approximate year of birth for your Grandfather?

Jane

Donna

You could try here

Centurion. Naval Pay & Pensions (Accounts), Centurion Building, Grange Road, ... RN Medal Office, Room 3105, Centurion Building, Grange Road, Gosport, ...

I got my Dads pay records from here. They told me all the ships he was on.

I think it is about £25.

I hope this helps

Jane

Hi Jane.

It was my great grandfather I missed the great out.

Yes and it was approx. 1901 as he died in 1941 when his ship HMS Juno (according to cwgc). He was 21 when he married in 1922.

Thanks for the additional info.

Regards.

Donna

Try this link. You should find him listed if he joined before 1923 and can buy a copy of his record for £3.50

Was he already in the navy when he married?

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/royal-navy-service.asp

Hi John,

Thanks for that.

According to marriage cert. In 1922. He was a Stoker. R.N. But he does not come up on the Archives site.

Regards.

Donna

Donna,

do you want to post his details?

Pete

HI Donna

As he was a Stoker he would probably have done some if not a lot of his training at HMS Sultan. HMS Sultan is a shore base in Gosport.

Jane

HMS Juno (Cdr. St. John Reginald Joseph Tyrwhitt, RN) was bombed and sunk about 30 nautical miles south-east off Crete in position 34º35'N, 26º34'E by Italian bombers (5 Cant Z.1007 from the 50th gr. piloted by Lt. Morassuti) ON 21st May 1941

Thanks to everyone for their info and ideas.
Pete
His details are as follows:

Thomas Lucas service no according to cwgc c/kx95484 1st Class Stoker
Born c 1901 to 1941
Married Daisy L Smith in 1922 age 21 father was William Lucas(deceased). He was a stoker on his marriage.

Thanks & Regards

Donna

Donna,

Take a look at the information on this webpage. It explains all about the RN service numbers.

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/NavalNumbers.html

So from the service number on the CWGC website - c/kx95484

C denotes his home port is Chatham
K denotes stokers
x shows that he joined AFTER the the introduction of a new pay code in the 1930's.

So he joined pre-1921 according to his marriage certificate and must have left and then rejoined.

So why not go back to the documents online website and look for Thomas Lucas with the service number begining with the Letter K (stokers) who was born c1900. There are three entries with differing service numbers but all with the same date and place of birth. Walworth London. One of the hits has a service number J but that could still be of interest.

A quick cross check of the 1901 census shows a Walworth-born Thomas Lucas with a father named William.


Name: Thomas Lucas
Age: 10 months
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1900
Relation: Son
Father's Name: William
Mother's Name: Sarah
Gender: Male
Where born: Walworth, London, England

Civil Parish: Newington
Ecclesiastical parish: All Saints
County/Island: London
Country: England

Registration district: St Saviour Southwark
Sub registration district: St Peter, Walworth
ED, institution, or vessel: 29

Household schedule number: 33
Household Members: Name Age
William Lucas 30
Sarah Lucas 31
Rose Lucas 12
Thomas Lucas 10 months

I haven't checked the 1911 census as this costs money to access the family but he appears to be in Southwark.

Not proof ,but any interesting series of coincidences that could be fruitful.

If you can afford the cost of the service records on the documentsonline website these may shed some useful information.

Pete

Donna,

some further info on RN service records is shown on the National Archives website. Copied and pasted -

"If the individual's service record is in another time period: records of seamen who entered the Royal Navy after 1923 are not held by The National Archives.


For service between 1928 and 1938, please contact


The Directorate of Personnel Support (Navy)
Navy Search
TNT Archive Services
Tetron Point
William Nadin Way
Swadlincote
Derbyshire
DE11 0BB


Tel: 01283 227913
Fax: 01283 227942


For service after 1938, please write to:


Data Protection Cell (Navy)
Victory View
Building 1/152
HM Naval Base
Portsmouth
PO1 3PX

Pete,

Thanks so much for that info.
I did not even consider him leaving and rejoining the Navy.

I think sometimes you get so caught up in one aspect of the person, it blinds you to everything else.

This gives me some leads to follow up now.

I did search the 1911 census in some detail earlier this week so I will go back now and double check my records.

Thank you again and also to the other members who have given info.

Regards.

Donna

Bingo.

The naval records for Thomas Lucas 1/5/1900 ( I didn't realise the date was DOB I thought it was date enlisted . Derrr!!) from National Archives relate to all the same person. His occupation before enlisting was garden boy which would follow as his father William was shown as gardener on Marriage cert.

Just need to follow up census now and obtain birth cert. Job done.

Shame I have to go to work shortly, still something for tomorrow lol

Thanks again.

Regards.

Donna