Find Ancestors

Trying to find my Great grandfathers date of death, His son was told that his father died approx 1918, in the navy and went down on a ship, Finally found G/grandfathers name from grandfathers birth cert, father listed as Samuel Westwood first class stoker, HMS venerable, Got Samuel's records for the navy and he is listed as been born 19th June1892 in Sheffield, and the last date that he is on a ship is the 9th June 1921, I 've searched for a date of death in june 21 through to Sept 21 but can't find him listed as dead, Need help please - where can I go next?? Jo

I'm not entirely sure how ths works ....... but if a body was not recovered, I THINK they had a certain period of 'waiting' BEFORE a death cert was issued. Maybe someone else can be clearer ? Elaine ;-) ....or another possibility : .... son was TOLD his father had died, ( to save the truth from being told ?) but actually, possible that Father was somewhere else maybe ?

Only family hearsay it appears with regard to having gone down on a ship, not going to trust that anymore, Family hearsay had it that he was married and had my grandfather, can't find any marraige for Samuel and my grandfathers mother, but can find a marriage in 1920 for her when she married Thomas which we knew about but even then the family had got his surname wrong. So you can see my problem. he could have just left the navy, or died in the navy, but I don't know how I will find out, on his navy record it does state ' war gratuity' maybe this is the payment when he died which would then tally with the last date on the record of 9/6/21, but where is it registered?? Confused? so am I

Just googled HMS Venerable and it seems to have survived WW1 (- no mention of a sinking and sold for scrap in 1920.) Also Samuel doesn't appear on CWGC site, wneh I had a quick look. Does naval record name his ship in 1921? Jay

OOOOOhhhhh! Geoff !!

Thanks Geoff, not him though, my Samuel is still alive in 1921, Last listed on the 9th June 1921 on HMS Victory 11, I think it says, Joined the navy in 1910 and served on quite a few ships

Joanne, There was a post on here the other week and I think it said HMS Victory was a naval BASE, rather than SHIP. I do know that the naval equivalent of army barracks all have ship names Jay

Joanne Have mesaged you with a web address Yvonne

thanks Yvonne and Janet wiil try both of those, Is there any other way I could find his date of death, for example if he came out of the Navy in 1921, or do you think he was in service when he died with it saying war gratuity on his records

Apart from 1837online is there anywhere else I could seach for Samuels date of death, don't fancy hours upon hours going through 1837online?

Just checked his naval record again and it says leading stoker Victory 11, if it isn't that it is something very similar, but having checked for Victory 11 in 1921 I can't come up with anything, If anyone is any good at reading old writing I can email other for them to have a look

Jo I still have the copy here and i would say it is Victory II. This is also after he was paid war gratuity so maybe he finished serving and then went to train new recruits after for a while. Under the remarks he was pain £5 in Jun 21. So the war pay must have been when he finished on the ships Yvonne

If you look under his last ship Victory X he was demobed Yvonne

Thats exactly what I thought as well, But I can only find Victory 11 up to 1919, it isn't there in 1921!! I would think that his records would suggest that he left the Navy in 1921, but to where did he go?? not home as his son never saw him ( told he had died) Family was told that after he died his naval pension went straight to my grandfathers mother but they weren't married ( as I've now discovered - oh the shame of it ) so I don't see how she could have had the money ! This is driving me bonkers

Yvonne is your'e still on this thread have a look at the record where it say Victory 11, go to the right and in bold writing it says Joined RFR 19TH MARCH 1919 BB 9718 Any ideas

Did you look at the web site i gave you Yvonne

Yes had a look on that and it said that Victory 11 was only up to 1919 and then it went back to crystal palace, Can't find anything else relating to Victory 11 I'm know questioning whether he died or not, he may have left the navy and married someone else, his wife whoi he had my grandfather with had certainly married again in 1920 a full year before the last mention of samuel in the records.

It may be worth looking for a marriage Yvonne

Going to start doing that now - try for Samuel's death or a marriage after 21/7/21 Wish me luck