Looking for help in finding several relatives from Liverpool

[Karen Booth]

Hello once more,
In the course of researching family history, it has come as little surprise that several relatives were either dock workers or in the British Merchant Navy out of Liverpool. I am particularly interested in my great-grandfather, David Oswald, who was born there 7 August, 1852 and died 17 November, 1906. Based on census data, we've identified him as either a "mariner" or "joiner." Sadly, it appears he suffered a stroke or some sort of head injury his last year of life, and died in a workhouse.
When I search crew lists for that era on Ancestry, I get several "reference numbers" under his name:
387CRE/218
387CRE/224
387CRE/306
Are these three different David Oswalds or the same one? Do the numbers change for various reasons? Forgive my ignorance on such matters, but I am a landlocked Canadian!
Thank you for your support in the past. I hope you can help me again.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Karen
Those three Numbers, i would think are different People? But not sure as i do not use Ancestry.
However i could be quite incorrect, so best way i guess is to look futher into them.

I had found one Person of this name in Family Search, but looks like it may also not be the one you seek. As it states he was Born in Scotland!

I would approach the Southampton Maritime Archives, where if anywhere there should be some records for him. I find nothing at the Kew Archives.

Good Luck