On Behalf of Carol Gorman

[Carol Gorman]

Looking for information on James Kearney b.1897 Glasgow, Married in 1932 at Liverpool, disappeared c1942. Canning Place document quotes No. R.94296

Thank You all replies appreciated

Carol

[Doc Vernon]

Most probably you have this but just to start with!
I will be searching for actual Records and see what comes up!
Cheers
Kearney James Marriage Cert Ref. Page Number etc

Kearney J.JPG

[Doc Vernon]

Carol
As i have done my usual searches and come up Blank, the only other avenur is to Email the Southampton Archives (Maritime Section) as they hold lots of Records and may be his is included there?
Worth a Try
By the way , that R Number you give i have looked but it refers to another Person altogether born in Australia . ??
Central index of Merchant Seamen (southampton.gov.uk)

[John Bache]

hi, if it's any help there's an Ian Gorman from Glasgow living in Rotorua NZ. might be a lead.

[Celia Webber]

Attached is the C.R.S.10 copy of James Kearney's entry in the 5th Register of Merchant Seamen. His 'R' number detailed in the Dis. A section is R94296. I believe he did use another name.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Celia
There is no attachment in your reply?

Anyway here is his CR1 a wee bit of info
Cheers

gbor_bt364_053_630 Kearney J.jpg

And this would be the Link for that CRS10 which i presume you have .
Cheers

Kean P J to Kearon K R | The National Archives

[Celia Webber]

I have just had a chance to look at this again and it's eureka. I am over the moon about it. Thank you so much for copying the original documents.
I compared the signature on James Kearney's marriage certificate (which his son gave to me) with the one that you have supplied above and it matches exactly. At last this confirms what I suspected - that his R no. is definitely R94296 - no matter what name changes there are. Can you give me the name he took?
James's very brief CRS10 states that he was on the 'Dominic' in 1931, discharged 15 March 1931. (According to the 1939 Register, he then worked as a driver in the oil industry here in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire). He joined the crew of 'Kosciuszko' (a Polish ship that had come over to the British Merchant Navy) on 18 September 1941, initially as a MR Steward, immediately signing on as a Fireman the day after. He was discharged at Fremantle (with no date) after collecting Australian troops from Ceylon to take them home.
The Kosciusko then went to Bombay and, from other records I found that, on 10 September, 1942, a J. Kearney arrived at Fremantle, Australia on the SS "Tanda". Was this the same person?
There is one piece more of the jigsaw and that is under the heading of the 'Name and O.N. of Ship' and that is 'M/W Mr Harding ref RE 8731/44. RRD 17.5' (with some of the lettering on the last reference difficult to read). Could whatever reference this is be something to do with his leaving the ship?
I have attached James's marriage certificate so you can compare signatures. dhcppc22BC48608_006141.jpg
I am so delighted. I will be able to tell his 90-year-old son, William Kearney, that his father was not lost at sea as he had been told (which is what we anticipated) but ended up in Australia. Now to do some research into his life there. This is where his 'false' name may come in handy.
Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Celia.
I may have said this before, but try the Freemantle newspaper archives, I found some things out about my brothers ship there a few years ago.
Des

[Celia Webber]

Dear Des Taff Jenkin.
I have now got Mr Bill Kearney's acceptance that his father, James Kearney (born 16.07.1897, R94296, discharged from Polish ship 'Koscuiszho' in 1941 at Fremantle, just south of Perth) was not drowned at sea in the Atlantic convoys but deserted his family in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, to live a new life, probably in Australia. Bill has relatives in Melbourne, Australia (his nephew emigrated there) and he is now writing to him to see if he can do some research for him. Bill is 90 years old this year and has spent all his life trying to find out what happened. He's enthusiastic about finding some new family on the other side of the continent.
Many moons ago, I believe you looked up R94296 for Carol Gorman, but said the name was not James Kearney. Is there any chance you could look again for me and let me have the changed name?
He was evidently not wanting to be found and, after all these years, we may at last be on the track. Did he have a new family out there? Did he revert to his original name or retain his date of birth? R94296 is all we have to go on.
I do hope you can help. What a revelation it would be to the family.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Celia.
You have two posts about Bill Kearney and I think you are mixing them up a bit, it is Doc Vernon you will want as he is the one who searches the Archives at Kew.
Good luck.
Des