Who do I contact in BP?

[martinedwards]

I'm looking for info on my Grandfather who was 3rd & 2nd officer on British Shipping Co before the war.

he was mentioned in the company magazine (the waft) after the British Chemist explosion in Grangemouth 1929.

I've tried the BP website but its "contact us" page is a disaster.

any suggestions?

TA!!

[DeepSea]

There will be no records held by BP relating to his service. Start by giving us his full name, date and place of birth and if you know the year he left the sea.

[martinedwards]

Ernest Govan McMillan

born 11 dec 1906 in Whitecastle, Donegal

I have a copy of his continual certificate of discharge no R 57193

3rd mate on BR Freedom 10/10/28 -15/11/28
3rd mate Br Chemist 27/3/29 - 8/6/29
2nd Mate Br Chemist 21/6/29 -28/11/29
2nd Mate Br Union 7/2/30 - 23/7/30
2nd mate Br Chivalry 12/9/30 - 7/5/31
2nd Mate Br Gunner 11/11/31 - 2/7/32
2nd Mate Br Yeoman 17/11/32 - 9/8/33

front page has Certificates listed as 2nd Mate 21647 (I think) and master 33228

He was aboard the "British Chemist" a tanker which suffered an explosion at Grangemouth dock in november 25th 1929. according to the numerous newspaper clippings, he "was blown 10 feet in the air and landed on his feet, uninjured, on the dockside"

reported in the Bradford Era.... Pensilvania

and the Salt lake Tribune.....

and even the New York Times.....

he gets a name check in the Glasgow Herald.....

According to the family legend he was awarded a rosewood and brass sextant as a thankyou from the company. I also have transcripts of letters from the time and one mentions the waft as a company magazine. google gives me nothing......

any leads anyone can give me gratefully received!

Martin

[Stuart Henderson]

I dont know about personnel records but I did write to the personnel department of BP and asked if I could obtain a photo of British Might of BTC as it was in 1948. I did two trips nearly a year on her my second ship. After a while I did get a nice A4 size photo of British Might still with wartime guns in place and was very pleased, nice letter too. Must have been forty years or more after sailing on her. In those early days we translated BTC (British Tanker Co ) into "Better times coming"
Stuart

[Mike Weller]

It was still 'Better Times Coming' in 1949!
Any T2 men out there
I was on the British Sailor at Spithead in 1953, and later, while on the Red Bank, just managed to squeeze into the Suez campaign delivering avgas to the RAF at Lake Timsah.

Mike Weller 1949-1953, 1956-1959 and 1971-1973