Genealogy Chat

How would i trace my Grandfathers service during WW2, he, apprently served the MN he would have been around 19/20 at the time, but noone knows anything else. Joseph Banor/Banov date of birth (ihave 2 1 for Banor and 1 for Banov) Joseph Banor Manchester 24/09/1919 Joseph Banov Manchester 24/11/1919.

Louisa- I believe the records are held at The National Archives, there's a lot of info on their website, but I always seem to get confused by it! Brenda

Yeah i tried looking at this but completely lost my marbles its not very easy to navigate and find what you are looking for, i will keep searching. Thanks

Louisa- Try contacting another member called Phoenix (AC) Resurgem... or something like like, they posted a link to Trade Directories at TNA which listed Merchant Seamen... they were helping Trace in Yorkshire with a very similar search.... have been looking for the thread but can't find it..... somewhere in the region of 2nd/3rd week in Jan this year. Good luck, Brenda

Louisa- I searched on the Record Office board and came up with this website... www.mna(.)org(.)uk remove the brackets I'm off to have a look at it myself!!! Brenda

Thanks Guys, i will take a look at the sites. xx

bump

Louisa- I found the Board of Trade entry from the other thread, I printed it off for future reference: BT 372/2618/52 Try a search on TNA site with that catalogue reference. Brenda

Nat Archives website isn't the easiest to negotiate, but if you go to the homepage and click on Research, Education and Online Exhibitions in the top bar, you'll get a drop down menu. click on Research Guides and you'll get an A-Z - choose M and you will find: Merchant Seamen: Abbreviations Found in the RGSS Registers Merchant Seamen: Interpreting the Voyages in the Registers of Seamen's Tickets and the Alphabetical Registers of Masters Merchant Seamen: Interpreting Voyage Details in the Registers of Officer's Services Merchant Seamen: Interpreting Voyage Details in the Registers of Seamen, Series II Merchant Seamen: Medals and Honours Merchant Seamen: Officers Service Records, 1845-1965 Merchant Seamen: Records of the RGSS, A Guide to Research Guides Merchant Seamen: Registers of Service, 1835-1857 Merchant Seamen: Sea Service Records, 1913-1972 Merchant Shipping: Crew Lists and Agreements After 1861 Merchant Shipping: Crew Lists and Agreements, 1747-1860 Merchant Shipping: Registration of Ships, 1786-1994 Click on any of these to find information about the records, BUT you will have to go to Kew to actually search them. nell

Louisa, Just adding my 10p-worth .... The National Archives holds boxes of 'Seaman's Tickets' - as mentioned in Nell's list. They are effectively professional passports for merchant seamen and can often contain interesting things like a photo! I've looked through them once, a long time ago, and not found my man, but you may be lucky. Regs Jane

Thanks for all the info, i wish my family could give me just a little clue like a ship he served on or something. Will i have to go to kew to search for him? I went to borders today and bought a photographic narrated book on the Navy and Merchant Navy during WW2 hoping to find a picture of my Grandad. No luck yet, Thanks again Louisa xx

Blinkin eck, theres a lot of information there, i am gonna try and see if my husband will take me to the archives place in the next couple of weeks, i couldnt possibly drive to London from Manchester i would be too excited about the potential of finding new infmation. Thanks everyone just looked up the refernce for TNA i reckon if he served he has to be mentioned somewhere

hiya louisa, the na site is brill, and as one of the girls said the seamans pouches hold a lot of info,It cost me £10. and for that i got details of him, like colour of hair, skin. eyes ,tatooos,ships he sailed on in ww2, and a photo. first one for me, it was magiccccccccc ,I have looked on it since and just typeing in his name on medal, it told me he had 5, dont know were they went, good luckx

Fantastic Sandra, the only photograph i have of my Grandad was taken 3 weeks before he died, i was only 5 when he died, so i would love to have a photo of him in his smart uniform, if no photo i will be happy with knowing what he did with his life, he was a wonderful man. Thanks Lou x

Found this thread to be really interesting, as think one of me relatives may have been in the MN . is there any way you can look and see if the persons name is in thier ? as i have tried and can't work it all out

Hi Susie, sure if i go to kew it will be w/c 20/02/2006 mail me and i will look for you. Lou x You cannot search names on the NA site it only gives you a list of records you can search when you go to kew.

b ump

I got a photo on an identity card that was at Kew. Unfortunately Grandad looks like Hitler on it!

LOL never mind, i am really excited about going to Kew i cant wait, but my husband is sick of me already i am so impatient.