Seeking information on death of Grandfather in service - Captain in Moller Line

[Katharine Horder]

I have struggled for years to find out more about the rather unusual death of my grandfather on a Moller Line ship. I have had no success in finding a record of a death certificate. I have been told that he sadly had a drink problem and as a result committed suicide by shooting himself with a shotgun. I know little else about the circumstances of his death but apparently he was buried by his fellow crew members in the Foreigners Cemetery in Shang Hai (which no longer exists). I presume the death took place at or near Shang Hai.
He name was George Thompson Wilkinson and was a Captain and Master Mariner. He was born in Sunderland (UK) in 1882 or 1883. Two of his sons (Leslie and Harold) also worked for the Moller Line at the same time. Harold worked on the Alice Moller at one time.
He died in 1931 or 1932, aged 49. It is reported that his son Harold at some point picked up his personal effects from Shang Hai and threw the shotgun in the sea in his distress.
I and my cousins would be extremely grateful if anyone could give us any further information on this matter, or guidance on how we might find out more. Thank you.

[Doc Vernon]

You may find something on him at the Guildhall Library in London.
They have Records on Ships Captains of that era and may have other info on the person.
Worth a shot!
Cheers

Lloyd's Captains' Registers
1851 - 1947 Series of Registers each in several volumes predominantly only listing men employed in the foreign trade. The earliest date available is 1869 which has been printed and published on microfiche. This is readily available for purchase. Although this contains retrospective details to 1851, it officially contains the details only of those Masters in service in 1869 though there are isolated entries where the man is known to have died, and the information had not yet been transmitted.
Note that these registers can contain a wealth of information about individual voyages and also some biographical information about each man. Original Lloyd's Captains' Registers are at the Guildhall Library, Manuscripts Department, Aldermanbury, London EC2P 2EJ

There is a record of Deaths at Sea at FMP , of the Year near in question, possibly could be him as they may have recorded his Death as at Sea??? But you will have to look at it yourself , its a Pay Site but a single record can be had at a Nominal cost! Again worth a go! ??

First name(s) G T

Last name Wilkinson

Year 1933

Place —

Country Great Britain

Archive reference BT 334

Source Deaths At Sea 1891 – 1972

[j.sabourn]

#1 Moller Line were and maybe still are a Hong Kong Company . Have you looked them up on Google as a basic starting off point ? JS
The only drink problem I have ever found ,was , there wasn’t any. JS

[Doc Vernon]

#1 Moller Line were and maybe still are a Hong Kong Company . Have you looked them up on Google as a basic starting off point ? JS
The only drink problem I have ever found ,was , there wasn’t any. JS

Möller & Co. was a shipping firm founded in Shanghai by Swedish captain Nils Möller in 1882.^[1] In 1903, Möller's two sons took over the shipping business, reorganizing it as Moller Bros.
On 30 March 1885 Moller & Co. acquired the composite barque Osaka from Thomas Roberts, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, a ship built by William Pile originally for Killick Martin & Company.^[2]
In 1907, the brothers sold their last sailing ships and purchased their first steam ship. In 1910 the business became a sole proprietorship owned by brother Eric Möller under the name Möller & Co. Routes traveled were mainly the China coast, Eastern Russia, Japan, Philippines and Indonesia.^[3]
In 1946 Möller took over management of both Alpha South African SS Co. and the Lancashire Shipping Co.^[3]
In 1953 the company abandoned the China coast trade and transferred its operations from Shanghai to Hong Kong. Subsidiary companies included Grosvenor Shipping Co. (London), Red Anchor Line (Hong Kong) and Hong Kong and Redfern Shipping Co. (Bermuda). Shipping operations were discontinued in 1981

[j.sabourn]

I worked nearly a year too long with Mullions or one of his offspring. Never bothered looking up his ancestry before joining. Anyhow designed a funnel mark for him , with his initials , however to see the real input of the wizardry I put into it you would have to stand away from the funnel facing the other way and look in a mirror and it would show DR , looking at it head on would show RD which were his initials. He was made up with it. And even thanked me . Cheers JS

[Graham Shaw]

Essentially the same company history details as Doc Vernon's # 5,but there is a list of owned/managed vessels HERE (ShipsList site).It may give you an idea of possible ships in service during your ancestor's timeline.

Graham S.

[j.sabourn]

#7 Graham if you can get a picture of the Glendalough up before she went to the scrapyard shortly after my departure you may see a picture of my artistic funnel marking. The son only had the one ship and think if memory still there worked under the title of Irish Ship Management , nothing to do with her original owners when she was the Irish Elm. Cheers JS. That’s all I have, sorry if it is interfering with the original request. Over and out JS

[Graham Shaw]

JS # 8.Only an Infolink,John.Sorry no photo-yet!

Similar story to yours re funnel colours.Don't want to give too much away but just after getting 2nd Mates I went foreign flag for a year on a Liberian registered but Israeli owned 5,000 tonner feeder container ship carrying Unspecified Cargoes from northern Italy to Ashdod. . It was Yom Kippur War time !,so apart from changing ships name our Capt.was Swedish so we painted the funnel blue and yellow as per Swedish flag with bold black lettering C.L.I. -standing for "Chaverim Luh Israel",(Friends of Israel !.)
A small thing,but it felt good !
Seeing all those blue and yellow flags now in support of another country,Ukraine ,brings back memories....

[Doc Vernon]

Just the Pic
Cheers

Glendalough.JPG

[j.sabourn]

Thanks , the only ship I ever gave a DR to , and maybe the only ship that ever got one : many may have been due one , she was one big danger waiting to happen , and the only ship I ever sacked . JS