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Harold Samson - Merchant Navy - dates help needed

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Ruth

Ruth Report 13 Nov 2014 14:12

Hi, I am trying to find out more about my grandad (deceased) Harold Samson and the dates of different ships he was on. I've found details about the ships to confirm I have the spelling correct also using a few facts from something he wrote.

Can anyone help with possible dates for the below, also trying to find out details of his time in the Australian Army as he went AWOL of a ship in Melbourne after believing he was going to be called as a witness about this Captain striking another person.

Details I have are:

SS Raranga from 1937 to 1938
M V Waimarama from 1938 to unknown but left at Melbourne, which was got sunk in Malta as part of Operation Pedestal.
Then he was in the Australian Army - dates unknown.
Fort Pine - dates unknown but left from Townsville to Bombay then UK via Manchester canal. Used an alias Cyril Thompson.
Tordene - dates unknown but left from Liverpool to Nova Scotia and back to Liverpool.
Fort Fitxgerald - dates unknown - left from Avonmouth to Italy to Cape Bone to New York to Connecticut passed Gibralter to Liverpool.

Researching:
Samson, Richards, Lynch, Watkins,

Ruth

Ruth Report 13 Nov 2014 14:15

I have details of his sea pouch held in Kew, which show the two names Harold Samson and Cyril Thompson as separate numbers but are in the same seapouch which he would have been fascinated to know as he thought no one connected the two.

Anyway I am hoping at some point to view the records but for now was hoping to see if I could find dates of the various voyages he was on.

Researching:
Samson, Richards, Lynch, Watkins,

MarieCeleste

MarieCeleste Report 14 Nov 2014 08:34

Hello Ruth, when/where was Harold born? (Might help with overseas records)

MarieCeleste

MarieCeleste Report 14 Nov 2014 08:47

Could this be him? This name and DoB matches a seaman's pouch record on National Archives.

SAMSON HAROLD AUSTIN
Service Number - NX94298
Date of birth - 17 Oct 1919
Place of birth - WOOLWICH ENGLAND
Place of enlistment - PADDINGTON NSW
Next of Kin - SAMSON FRANCES

This is from WW2 records on National Archives of Australia http://www.naa.gov.au/

The record hasn't yet been digitised for viewing on-line. You can request a copy but there will be a charge. I'm afraid I can't provide a direct link to the page as NAA links time out after an hour or so. If you use the main link I provided and follow the search links to Name Search and use surname Samson with record type WW2 records then you'll get to it.

Ruth

Ruth Report 14 Nov 2014 10:26

Hi, thanks for replying.
Yes that is my grandad. Frances was his mother.

Do you know if they would have the dates in the sea pouch?

I've got all the details of ships he was on just no dates!
Also thankyou for the link to the Australian army records. I will have a look there now.

Researching:
Samson, Richards, Lynch, Watkins,