Mystery around watch

[Moira Macpherson]

Help! My great grandfather, Capt Harry Waldemar Turner, was awarded a fob watch in 1916 for his services in assisting the Comrie Castle (118342) of the Union Castle Mail Steamship line when it went aground on the Leven Reef in East Africa. I am new to genealogy and haven't any idea how to find specific ship logs or whatever is needed to find out more about this incident. Google searches have drawn blanks other than ship details. Any suggestions? Thanks Moira

[Moira Macpherson]

Hi Marian - thanks very much for getting back to me. Taken a while to work out out how to find this forum again and look through my notes to see what info may be helpful.

Harry Waldemar TURNER
DOB. 26 Dec 1874, Bristol
DOD: 28 Dec 1938, West Lavington
Father: William Busby Turner
Mother: Susannah Lee

He moved to Kenya (Mombasa) around 1914 and was Port Captain there until around 1925 and this is the period I have not been able to find out much about though yesterday found him in many issues of the Kenya Gazette - issuing notices and shipping records - all very interesting.

I am a member of a local family history group but not genealogy sites - just learning about all this!!

Hope this helps....someone has checked Lyods register and the Guidhall and is going to National Archives as he is researching wrecks etc and had not heard about this one but didn't find anything yet. My quest is to find the ship going aground and hopefully any reports about what Gt Grandfather did.

Thanks so much.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Turner, Harry Waldemar
Rank: Sub Lieutenant (Probationary)

Name Turner, Harry Waldemar Rank: Sub Lieutenant (Probationary) Number: ... | The National Archives

[Captain Kong]

Try this................
on google........ Comrie Castle,.......ships nostalgia ,......... Comrie Castle,
Posts refer to the incident, and the fob watch. and one of our members, Chris Isaacs, also makes a comment. also there is a mention connection to the Logs.

Cheers
Brian

[Keith at Tregenna]

Extracted Logs: Ship's Name COMRIE CASTLE Official Number 118342 Dates of Voyages 31...

Extracted Logs: Ship's Name COMRIE CASTLE Official Number 118342 Dates of Voyages 31... | The National Archives

[Doc Vernon]

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[j.sabourn]

Moira just for your benefit and knowledge every seaman and most on this site will have what is called a Discharge. book with a record of his ships in. In the forward section of this book is the following.
1... you are informed that this continuous certificate should be produced and handed to the superintendent or consul when signing articles of agreement, so that the engagement column may be filled in and the certificate given to the safe keeping of the master.
2......Should you desert or fail to join, your book will be deposited with the superintendent or consul at the port where you left the ship who will retain it for a fortnight from the date of the vessels leaving, at the end of which time it will be forwarded to the Registrar General of Shipping and seamen Cardiff. Upon applying for your book it may be returned to you containing an entry in the discharge and character columns that the voyage was not completed, but if you have wilfully or through misconduct failed to join your ship , the ministry of transport may under section 65 (2) of the merchant shipping act 1906, withhold this book for such period as they find fit, and may refuse to furnish copies of your certificates of discharge or certified extracts of any particulars of service and character.
3...should you lose this book otherwise than by wreck you will not obtain a new one until your next discharge and a fee will be charged. But you may obtain at once by applying at once in form Dis. O3 to the registrar general of shipping Cardiff. And forwarded to this office .
This is the type. Of book your grandfather would of had and would of had all his personal things in the likes of his NHI number, income tax code, his personal description and all tattoos, blemishes and such like and would have given you a broad outline of his life during that time. However after saying that today is different ,books are different to start with, and a lot of records kept in office facilities are no longer kept. It always amazes me how people on this site ferret out the information people are looking for, so you are in good hands. Best of luck in your search and am sure you will be successful. Regards JWS. Ps he would also of had a seamans Identity Card with photo and fingerprints on. JS.

[happy daze john in oz]

When I saw the title, 'mystery around watch' I thought at first of those wonderful watches we got in Las Plamas.
On the shore while on sale they ticked and worked.
two hours after the ship sailed they were stuffed.,

[Doc Vernon]

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[Doc Vernon]

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