Certificates of discharge

[j.sabourn]

#9 I think the trouble with Arry is that he listened to the rumours and gossip about his parentage . He could easily have this disputed or otherwise by making public the results of a small easy test , or maybe he already has.?.
He was an unhappy child and is still a very unhappy adult and will probably die a very unhappy grumpy old man blaming everyone else for his self imposed problems. JS.

[j.sabourn]

#7 just got my early discharge books out Des and every discharge up until 1966 has the Crown on. Shortly after I went Foreign flag until 71/72 and thereafter no crown so must be a shipping office thing. Cheers JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John
Maybe Vernon's post is a foreign one as well, Maybe Indian as they tended to follow the British Path.
Des

[J Gowers]

Had a look at my wife's grand dads book for his MN period (length of WW2) all the ability /conduct stamps have no crown and have the same serial number. He volenteered in 1940 and was demobbed in 1946 and was MN on a T124X contract so under RN orders, he was on armed merchant cruisers and aircraft carriers. I thought his book looked a bit strange as all the entries are the same hand writing. It seems that he got his book at the end of the war and it was marked up with all his wartime service. My wife says he told her that he had paper discharges for all his ships but they gave him a book when he went back to civvy street. I wonder if this was a common thing during the war?

[Bill Morrison]

My first Disch. Book is the same with Copy of Report of Character. For ability / For general conduct. With crown above [ Very Good l Very Good ] with three numbers under.
I think it was around 1972 character report was remove from your Disch. book.

I have my wife's late uncle's Disch. Book. It starts in 1915, his first Disch. Book was lost in the sinking of the vessel by enemy action.
It is split into two pages there are no crowns above report.
Bill.

[J Gowers]

My first book was issued to me in Jan 1974 it was the new style with no entries for ability or conduct. The number was UK 003715 so I guess they started issuing these books with the UK number in 1973. As an engineer I was always given at the end of a voyage an Engineers Certificate of Service by the Chief Engineer, when full you got an engineering superintendant to sign them saying your were a fitting candidate for the next ticket you required, these were supposed to be shown to a BOT examiner when going for tickets. They did have spaces on them for ability, conduct and sobriety. They were all handwritten with VG except some chiefs would put sober or temperate in the sobrity space. Which really meant you were a pisshead but they would never put that on the cert, got to admit I have a couple of entries stating pisshead I mean sober. Below is a scan my book and my wifes granddads book and a copy of the cert of engineers service.

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[Johnny Kieran]

Just as an aside, did any of you ever obtain a monkey Discharge Book? even on a temporary basis? Reason I ask is, I'd like to know if seaman's records were kept, the same as with the straight one?
I have been aware of some chaps sailing with a monkey DB, and they were never cottoned on to.
Purely a matter of interest of course.

[Doc Vernon]

My first Disch. Book is the same with Copy of Report of Character. For ability / For general conduct. With crown above [ Very Good l Very Good ] with three numbers under.
I think it was around 1972 character report was remove from your Disch. book.

I have my wife's late uncle's Disch. Book. It starts in 1915, his first Disch. Book was lost in the sinking of the vessel by enemy action.
It is split into two pages there are no crowns above report.
Bill.

Cannot see any Crown there Bill ??
Or am i missing something!
Cheers

This one does have the Crown. 1949




Earlier ones didnt seem to have it?
So still not sure on whats what! LOL

RMS Kaisar I Hind - The William Thomas Foreman Story from 1926 to 1938 (ssmaritime.com)

[j.sabourn]

As said once before as an apprentice you did not get a discharge in your book. I have one for a voyage from 17.6.53 to 10.12 .53 put in by the Master by mistake with no crown. He was a young master and served during the war, maybe he thought I was a cadet a totally different rating at the time who did get one.
My official discharge book entries commenced in 6.1.58. And continued until Sept. 1966 .
All had discharges with crowns , on coming back to Federated ships when the crowns were resumed until the issue of the new books when I believe a shipping master was no longer required as there was no ability and conduct reported in. So to me the Crown and number was there to identify the shipping office and shipping master. JS
For those who dont know an apprentices seatime was on the back of his Indentures, and the Master was your supposedly Daddy. Mine are hanging up in my office to remind me of the way things used to be , and be thankful I survived. JS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Vernon.
The crown is on top of your stamps for very good for ability and conduct stamps in a half circle.
Des