Sue. There were hundreds of UK shipping companies at the time you are researching. However, I list  a few of the bigger ones for you.

Ellerman Lines, Lamport and Holt Line, Harrison Lines, Manchester Liners, Bibby Line, Wilson Line, Prince Line, Union Pacific Line (Canadian but recruited in Liverpool. Their ships were called "Empress of: Canada, India, Britain etc), Furness Withy Line, Bank Line (now called Andrew Weir shipping), Clan Line, Union Castle Line, Denholm Line, Elder Dempster Lines,.

As I say there were literaly hundreds of shipping companies at the time you mention. The ones I have listed, though not primarily passenger lines, did carry passengers. White Star was bought by Cunard not long after the Titanic tragedy. I hope this assist's you.

oh dear, this is going to be a huge task. I thought I would have cracked this when I found his father John, but John's Will makes NO MENTION of Wilfred, even though it is dated about the time he disappeared. All my theories seem to be sinking into the deep  deep ocean, just like the Titanic

Sue

Sue. Not quite. If he lived in Lancashire at the time he joined the Merchant Navy. He would have gone to a British Shipping Federation Office. This narrows it down to two possibilities Manchester (Salford) or Liverpool (Mann Island). It would help of course if you had his discharge book number (this usually begins with an R followed numbers (ie R1234567).

Where it gets complicated is knowing if he was established or unestablished. Basically the difference is that if you are what is termed as established it means that you were employed by a shipping company (a company man). If you were unestablished you just went to the B.S.F. office when you wanted a ship, and signed articles. The B.S.F. then paid you and invoiced the shipping company. My instinct tells me that he probably was unestablished, and that  he probably worked out of the Liverpool B.S.F. office (passenger ships did not go to Manchester because of their size and restrictions on the Manchester Ship Canal)  he would probaly be signed on to the Canadian Pacific ships. They plied the Atlantic trade from Liverpool/Southampton-Canada routes.

Hope this helps

This sounds promising, and Liverpool sounds likely. Can I go and do any research at the office do you know. All my efforts to find any sort of number for Wilfred have drawn a blank. I looked at Kew, Southampton archives have looked for me, and I searched the P&O files at Greenwich. I can't try the archives in Newfoundland until I have a number. Southampton IS DEFINITELY a possibility as the story says he disappeared when going to join his ship at Southampton, he had missed it at Newcastle. Dad thought the route was scandinavia to Newcastle to Southampton to New York, but he was only 7 at the time

Sue

Sue. If the ship he was joining started in Scandinavia, stopped at Newcastle and Southampton, then the probability is that it was a "Swedish America Line" ship. Where this becomes problematic is that I am not sure if British seamen could sign articles on a foreign flagged vessel in those days, also the scandinavian companies used to transfer passengers to UK registered ships once they arrived in the U.K. The following is a web-site that gives some of this information. If you tell me which city he went to in the Americas I can narrow the shipping company down to maybe three.

http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_year.asp?ye=1922

I think I shall plying my Dad with more questions. He finds it hard to remember the details but he gets flashes of inspiration when we least expect it. A good Christmas dinner and a few sherries may do the trick. Thanks Robert I'll be in touch. In my bones I KNOW i a meant to find this man

Sue

Sue. I will help you as much as I can. Try these links.

www.merchant-navy.net/ - 20k

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/merchant/ - 23k -

Many thanks, perhaps this will be my lucky year

 Sue

Sue. I have been doing some research for you. The main shipping companies from Scandinavia in the 1920s/30s were Swedish American Line, and Norwegian American Line. They departed Scandinavian ports on a direct route to the Americas, and did not enter British ports. There crews were all fluent Scandinavian speakers. The food for both passengers and crew was Scandinavian. This leads me to believe that all crewmen on these lines were scandinavian.

However, there is a possibility that he could have been with Wilson Line who were based in Hull, that would also fit in with the Newcastle theory. Wilson Line brought emigrants to the UK and transferred them to the transatlantic liners.

Wilson Line was bought by John Reeves Ellerman, Eventually becoming Ellerman's Wilson Line, but ran autonomously from Ellermans. Now the GOOD news. Ellermans archives are held by Glasgow University, and can be accessed by the public. Also, if you visit the Albert dock in Liverpool, there is a maritime office (this is not an official office) were you can access crew list. I have accessed my signing on documents there on a number of occasions. If you follow the link below it will give you names of the ships owned by Wilson Line in any given year. This should help you to locate Ship's names.

http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/index.htm

The following is the information for the Albert Dock.

MERSEYSIDE MARITIME MUSEUM, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AQ
tel.0151 478 4499; website:

http://www.merseysidemaritimemuseum.org.uk

e-mail: maritime.archives@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Wilson Line insignia.

This sounds promising/,. Thankyou. My sister, who works in Liverpool, had suggested the docks there so I feel a trip to Liverpool coming on. As  amatter of interest during the same years Wilfred's half brother was sailing out of Liverpool as a ships surgeon. I have often wondered if they met. Such an unusual surname may well have caused conversation if they did meet

 Sue

He was with Cunard. He qualified as a Dr from Liverpol University in 1924 and sined up for his first sailing in 1926. He continued to be a ships surgeon as well as working in Liverpool Hospitals and Booth Hall Manchester until the late 1950s. In later life he was a Surgeon Commander with the RNVR.

Sue

Well there you go Sue. It's like a jig-saw puzzle all things will fit into place.