Possibly asked before?

[Doc Vernon]

Hi
This may have been posted before but I cannot recall ?
The question is does anyone know what the Prefix letter S before a Seamans Number depicts!
I just have a small thought at the back of my head that it may be for Home Trade only????

The R of course we all know !
Thank You
Cheers

[Ivan Cloherty]

Home Trade seafarers had the same 'R' prefix as all other seamen, it was up to the individual seaman whether or not he sailed FG or HT, if he was an AB - HT he still had to have a L/B Certificate, a HT seaman was no lesser a seaman than a FG seaman and certainly put in more hours on seamanlike duties than his FG counterpart. In my experience many FG men sent by the Pool to join a HT ship couldn't wait to get back to FG as HT was too much like bluddy hard work and no sunshine

[j.sabourn]

Never saw an S dis.A. Book. After R became UK at some long forgotten date. May have been about the time that Discharges for Ability and Conduct disappeared. As one usually kept the same number the same as your NHI number, the three books I have are all the same number, even the follow on books that appeared after the loss of discharges for Conduct and Ability. JS

[Doc Vernon]

There are hundreds AJ ??

Just a few listed here Cheers

BT 372/2996/54 1913 - 1972

S97424 GOMEZ ORTEGA A 16/06/1935 ROMFORD

BT 372/2996/56 1913 - 1972

S97426 GOULD J B 07/12/1939 PADDINGTON

BT 372/2996/57 1913 - 1972

S97427 FISHER R S AUSTRALIA
and many many more too!
Cheers

[Hugh]

The 'S' prefix Dis. A number was for various nationalities including British seafarers. There is no defined explanation anywhere giving any further detail on this from any of my sources.
I agree with Ivan - nothing to do with HT service. Although there are a lot of 'S prefixes about, in relative terms, in comparison with the 'R' or 'UK' they are very much in the minority.

Dis. A numbers are an interest of mine - maybe, I will find the answer one day on the last page of the last box of a file in a place a long way away from me.

Regards
Hugh

[Doc Vernon]

Thanks Hugh
Yes always been a Mystery on those S Prefixes!??
As said may be one day we will know more!
Cheers

[Keith at Tregenna]

RE; Dis. A numbers are an interest of mine

The below means little to me but, may help ?

"The records feature documents known as CR 1, CR 2 and CR 10 cards. The
following information can be found on these cards:

• full name of individual (CR 1, CR 2, CR 10)
• year and place of birth (CR 1, CR 2, CR 10)
• exact date of birth (CR 10)
• rank or rating (CR 1, CR 2, CR 10)
• physical description (CR 2, CR 10)
• photograph (CR 10)
• Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) number (CR 10)
• number and grade of any Board of Trade Certificate (CR 1, CR 2, CR 10)
• name and address of next of kin (CR 10)
• voyage details featuring ship's official number and date of signing on
(CR 1 [one ship only], CR 2, CR 10)
• signature (CR 1)
• Dis. A. number (CR 1, CR 2, CR 10)"

K.

ADDED Discharge S: Seamen - Index

ADDED; It means Discharge A number. Every British seaman starting with the Fourth Register of British Seamen 1913 and maintained until 1941. (The entries for 1913-1918 were destroyed, therefore the register covers the period from 1918 to 1940). had a unique Dis A number usually 6 digits prefixed with the letter "R" some of the early ones were prefixed with the letter "S"and some very early ones, with no prefix letter at all.

Dis A numbers are an important tool in tracing Mercantile Marine/Merchant Navy ancestors as they are unique to one seaman only.
.

[Hugh]

Thanks, Keith, I am well aware of all of those.

Regards
Hugh

[Keith at Tregenna]

Thanks, Keith, I am well aware of all of those.

Regards
Hugh

No worries just attempting to both help and learn. K

[Mike Hall]

When i was in the process of collecting names for putting on our flag,i came across several variations.
I have made a chart with all those variations,please see below.
img021.jpg.



I hope this helps.
MIKE.