Rank and job

[Jay Battle]

Apologies if this is very basic but....

This image is of my great grandfather Matthew Battle b. 1868 who is shown wearing what I believe to be a petty officers cap badge. I am not sure of the date of this photo. However, the seamans record shows him as being a fireman in 1929. This would make him 61. I know he was a coal miner in Bedlington at the age of 43 and joined the Merchant Navy some time after that. The thing is can you be a fireman and a petty officer? I am 47 and cut stone for a living which is hard enough, I cant imagine being a fireman at 61 but then again maybe that was quite normal. Would someone let me know if he could have joined that late in life and become a petty officer or would all firemen have been considered eligible for that rank.

I appreciate family history may only interesting for those in the family but my daughter has been asking questions and I don't have the right answers. Any information would be gladly received.

Thank you
Jay Battle

[Doc Vernon]

Hi
Thank you for joining this site!
I would say that yes it is quite possible that at 61 he could have still been a Fireman,i know of 2 people at that age that were Firemen at Sea,and also my one Uncle who was still throwing Coals at 69.
They made them hard those days,as for the Cap Badge well I am not sure on what Rank that is,and I don't know if one could be a Petty Officer as well? I know there will be some here that will be able to answer that part of it!
Hope this may assist!
Cheers
Doc
That Number points to the Ship "Ganadoc" 1924 cannot find a Pic of her though,she was a Cargo though!

[Jay Battle]

Thank you very much for that, Doc.

69? I feel a bit guilty now - I moan when my feet hurt. That really is incredible. I guess it all depends on the environment and if that is what you had to do, you just got on with it.

Thanks again
Jay

[cappy]

think mebbe a donkey man was classed as a pettyoffiser don't know for sure in them days

[Jay Battle]

Thanks for the ship's name, Doc - thats fantastic! I have tried on various sites but the number kept coming up blank.

Jay

[Jay Battle]

Thanks for that, Cappy. I have seen that a ship which has a 'donkey boiler' would need a man with experience so that may account for his age.

Thanks again
Jay

[Captain Kong]

Ganadoc (1924/1144), I am guessing the /1144 is the net tonnage.
I believe she was a Bauxite carrier then in 1929 taken over by a Canadian company [ Welland ] on the great Lakes for the grain trade and in WW2 was requisitioned by the Canadian Government.
.
Then of course I could be wrong, I googled the name and got a few sites that mentioned it.

Usually the Donkeyman was classed as a Petty Officer the same as the Chippy and Bosun.
Cheers
Brian.

[j.sabourn]

Is that not a RN cap badge. John Sabourn

[Jay Battle]

Thanks for that, Brian.

I think that's what I am questioning. If a ticket lists a man as a Donkeyman, and he could be a Petty Officer, I might be able to assume the same could be said for a Fireman?

Kind regards
Jay

[Jay Battle]

Thanks John

Slightly confused. Don't the Royal Navy and Merchant navy have different details? I never assumed his Cap Badge related to a rank within the RN. Or is there some crossover?

Jay