How did he join up?

[mikebroe]

How did a young Irish boy from Dublin aged just 16 years old enlist in the Royal Navy in Devonport in 1873? Did they have recruiting offices? How did he get to England as public transport would have been very different in those days?

Regards

Mike

[pipsqueak]

The best way to answer this question is to begin with the facts as you know them, then look at the historical context and finally use your imagination.

Do you know where his parents were at this time?
Was he an orphan or a runaway?
Did he have any family in England or Wales?

He would have been born in the aftermath of the Irish potato famine - perhaps this is what led his family to England.
He could have stowed away or got passage on a ship from Ireland - it was easy enough to sail between Ireland and Wales.

Keep asking questions and seeking answers and at some point you'll come up with at least a viable theory. The hard part will be trying to prove it!

No doubt someone here with more knowledge will be glad to help you will some real answers and point you in the right direction.

[Mutley]

The barracks are mentioned here (http://www.btinternet.com/~philipr/barrack.htm).

Do you know when he came to England, have you found him on the 1871 or 1881 census?

The ferries travelled frequently from Ireland. He could have begged, borrowed or stole the money for a ticket or hitched a lift with other family members. As Pipsqueak also says, stowed away. There were no records kept.

It is a case of keep digging and maybe letting us know a bit more of what you know. It is possible that someone out there has a record that may help.

Good Luck

[Peter Goodey]

A 16 year old would be more of a young man than a boy! Joining the navy was probably not his first job of work.

When you say he was Irish what evidence do you have? I wouldn't necessarily equate being born in Ireland with being Irish (genealogically speaking).

[mikebroe]

Thanks guys,

You were right that he was working before joining up. According to his service record he was a painter/carpenter. It also shows his exact date of birth in Dublin.
His training establishments were HMS Implacable and Cambridge.
He is not shown on the 1871 census but in 1881 he is onboard HMS Iron Duke in Hong Kong.
He marries in Cobh (then Queenstown) in 1883 and on his marriage certificate his father is shown as William (deceased) a butcher.
On the 1851 Dublin City census there is a William shown as head of household in Dublin. I guess that this is my next line of enquiry but with a shortage of records that may be a little difficult.
The young man that I am researching finally retired in Manchester. I don't know why, probably he had relations there but I have yet to discover them.

Here's to happy hunting.

Mike