Help with crew lists 1914-1960

[NeilMcD]

Hello all

I am currently trying to find out more about my grandfathers extensive career in the Merchant service stretching I believe from at least 1915 (he was a fifth engineer on the SS Mascara, which hit a mine in the White Sea) until his death in the early sixties. We have some information but not much, especially his wartime exploits in both wars. I mention the SS Mascara which may well have been his first billet but we believe he was torpedoed once ot twice more in WWI but we donīt know how to find out on which ships he may have served after the SS Mascara. He has 3 standard WWI medals and I have a copy of the medal card from the National Archives with some reference numbers. In WW2 he appears to have been in a good many places as an chief engineer on "Royal Naval Transports", at Vaaso, Lofoten, Iceland, Casablanca, None, Algiers, Syracuse, Salerno, Anzio, Rangoon and finally Singapore, and I have 6 medals in my possession but what ships he was one and more details we cannot find or I donīt know how to proceed. He finished his career s Captain of Engineers (Chief Engineer) of Elder Dempster Lines based in Liverpool. Any help would be gratefully received. His name was Archibald Ferguson McDougall

Many Thanks in advance for any suggestions

[Keith Tindell]

Wellcome to the site, i,m sure some of our research guys will be in contact in the next few days, i,m sure something will be found by them, kt

[NeilMcD]

Many thanks guys, that would really be appreciated, NM

[Hugh]

Hello Neil and welcome,

He joined MASCARA at Dock St London 24 Feb 1915 and signed off at London on 13 April 1915 - his previous ship was also MASCARA.
He has a CR1, CR2 and CR10 with photo from the Fourth Register of Seamen covering some of his service from 1919 but these cards do have many omissions from my own experience and you may need to use Crew Agreements to find out some of his earlier service including WW1. No personal records for WW1 survive so you will need to follow my advice in order to try and track him backwards.
For WW2, you can obtain his CRS 10 - If it has survived - this is his service record from Jan, 1941 and should list all his ships from that date. I will link the file later. If you would like the cards can you send me a private message with your email and I will send them on. They are also held online but there are copyright issues if posted here. If you wish to post the medal file I can decipher the medals you have.

Regards
Hugh

[Hugh]

His CRS 10 should, if it has survived, be held at Kew in piece BT 382/1087 hopefully filed in the correct place but sometimes they have been filed incorrectly under 'Mac'.
This file is best obtained by visit to Kew or via a researcher as expensive to obtain online. Any questions please feel free to ask.

Regards
Hugh

[Keith at Tregenna]

Wellcome to the site, i,m sure some of our research guys will be in contact in the next few days, i,m sure something will be found by them, kt

Ditto.

Keith.

[Doc Vernon]

Futher to High's good advice and postings could you tell us if he was Born in

Argyllshire

and what was his Year of Birth 1883/1884 ??
Thank you

I ask as I have on record 2 persons with that name showing CR1 and CR10
Thanks

[Hugh]

Vernon - My understanding from my own research that he was born in Cove, Dumbartonshire 14.7.1883. I have all the cards - I don't post them on here as that is against the owning sites copyright.
Will wait till the o/p confirms date and place of birth.

Regards
Hugh

[NeilMcD]

Futher to High's good advice and postings could you tell us if he was Born in

Argyllshire

and what was his Year of Birth 1883/1884 ??
Thank you

I ask as I have on record 2 persons with that name showing CR1 and CR10
Thanks

Hi

He was born in Cove, Dumbartonshire in July (the 27th I think) 1883. I am guessing the SS Mascara was his first billet as he appears to have gone to South America in 1912 looking for work (we see him entering Buenos Aires from a London-based ship, Highland Glen in that year) and presumably returned to the UK when WWI began although we do not know when

Many Thanks!

Neil

- - - Updated - - -

Cove, Dumbartonshire, July 1883

[NeilMcD]

Hi Hugh

Thatīs interesting; we could only find a record of his signing (crew agreement) on for the Mascara in 1915, but oddly we have a letter from him to his family suggesting he was shipwrecked, after the Mascara hit a mine and left him and other crewmen in a lifeboat in White Sea before ending up in Archangel. Some sources suggest the Mascara was mined in late July 1915, so possibly his lifeboat exploits refer to another voyage on the Mascara after the 13th April signing-off you mention. What he did after that is unclear; according to my late father he was later torpedoed twice in WWI before being married in mid-1918 on a special licence in Liverpool and we have also found a medal card and a discharge no of 872511. After that we know he got around, including Brazil, New York and probably many more places. For WW2 if you have anything it would really help. He has the Atlantic Star, the North Africa Star (with a 1942-43 bae or clasp), the Italy Star, the Burma Star, the 39-45 Star and an unknown 1939-45 medal with red, blue and white stripes (itīs round and nota star); my father said he was at Vaagso, Lofoten, Iceland, Casablanca, Bone, Algiers, Syracuse, Salerno, Anzio, Rangoon and Singapore. Oddly, a quick search suggests only 2 transports went to Lofoten, HMS Queen Emma and Princes Beatrix, which were converted Dutch North Sea ferries albeit with civilian crews, they were also at a number of the other locations although not all, so a bit of a mystery

Many Thanks

Neil