Plumbing Apprenticeship 1930's/ Submarine Engineer

[v.wells]

I am not sure where to post this thread.

My father learned the plumbing trade probably in the 1930's as an apprentice. He was a self taught man, so he said, and started working when he was 14. He was born 1914.

He also said he did airconditioning/refridgeration on submarines. He lived in Lewisham so the nearest dockyards would be Woolwich. He did not serve in the war because a. his brothers were serving and he would be the only son left at home (I'm assuming that) and b. because he had poor eyesight. Probably failed to pass medical but refused to mention that failure, as failure was not in his vocabulary if you know what I mean. He never discussed the war just the air raid sirens and how they watch the blitz from a hill top.

Now when he immigrated to Canada (1953) his work involved air conditioning/refridgeration and electrical design engineer. I do not remember him taking any formal schooling for that so he must have learned on the job. Some of his most notables was the Toronto Dominion Towers, the Niagara Falls Revolving Restaurant and the Pickering Nuclear Power Plant.

The question is: Where would I find Apprenticeship records for his English trades and submarine work?
I haven't a clue where to start. I bow down to those with far greater knowledge!|bowdown|

Vanessa

He is now dead so can't ask him!

[v.wells]

Can any one help with this?

Vanessa

[Jan1954]

You could try this as a starting point

http://www.muswell-hill.com/foxandco/pages/history.htm

Jan

[Jan1954]

or this

http://www.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/ead/259PDE.htm

[hughar]

Being the only son left at home would not be a reason for avoiding military service. If he was working in the dockyards then it is much more likely that as an essential worker he was exempted from call-up.

To find if there are any surviving records of his training and early employment you really need to know what firms or organizations he worked for, where, and when. So you need to look for information in any family documents etc that may still be available. For a start, how is he described on his marriage certificate, and on the birth certificates of each of his children, and do the addresses on these items give any clues? Did his Canadian immigration application include any record of his employment history? Have you discovered who he worked for when he arrived in Canada, and is there anything relevant in their records? Did he keep a diary? Are there any inscriptions in any old books that he might have kept? Any trade union badges, service awards, engraved souvenirs, etc. Does he have any other surviving relatives - siblings, cousins etc - who might have any information?

Good luck with your hunt for information. If you find anything useful there are plenty of people here willing to try and help - we just need more to go on than you have given us so far. And of course a name.

[v.wells]

Hughar

Great information. I do remember some of the companies he worked for here, but any employment records would be long gone. I didn't know that I could get any information from Canada Immigration? I will definitely try that route.

Ronald Raymond Wells 1914 Lewisham, Kent. We lived at 83 Wellmeadow Rd, Lee from 1941 to 1953.

As he wasn't a packrat he never kept anything, except some old math/plumbing/electrical books. My son brought some back when he was over visiting my sis - I have gone thru them page by page and no writings of any sort except his own name on the odd page, which must have been some form of reference method for himself! The books were published in the U.S. My elder sis was 6 at the time and would not remember anything like that and the fact is he came over to Canada 6 weeks before us. I have tried findmypast ships but they don't have anything in the 1950's. There are no surviving relatives to ask either.
BUT I will order the marriage cert. Don't know why I didn't do that before.
Thanks heaps. Onward I go!

Vanessa

And Jan I will definitely check out those links! Thanks for your help.