What was a Naval Draftsman?

[Wilkes_ml]

Would a naval Draftsman have been in the Navy, and if so is it possible to access the records of a person who was a Naval Draftsman in 1945?

I have someone who is a Naval Draftsman leaving UK for Australia on the ship "Umtata" in 1945, but do not know if he was emigrating, or just travelling due to work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Procat]

Have you tried the Australian National Archives site for any information about the passenger?

[Michael Duke]

Hello,

A naval draftsman is a civilian Draughtsman/designer who specialises in designing warships etc.

Best Regards Michael Duke

[Wilkes_ml]

Thanks,

Unfortunately I've looked through the list of hits on the Australian National Archives and nothing seems to match.

I've managed to locate the actual departure record for the ship UMTATA and the original gives the last place of residence which doesn't seem to tie in with the man that I am looking for (however I do not know for certain where he was from 1919) - so I may be on to a red herring here.

[daggers]

A naval architect is not a member of the Royal or Merchant Navy, but a civilian designer of ships, so I would go along with Michael Duke's view above.
D

[peter nicholl]

A Naval Draftsman draws ships and other vessels. It could be as an Illustrator or making plans and detailed drawings, or both. He could have been employed by a ship building company, or by the War Department.
June 1945 and the War in Europe was over. There seems to have been a party of Engineers and Technicians on the Umtata, all of whom show their "Country of last permanent residence" as "Other parts of the British Empire", so they may have all been returning to Australia after the European bit of the War had finished.
SKS who uses a site different to mine may be able to find him arriving in the UK some time earlier as an incoming passenger.
Peter

[Hollytree]

Would a naval Draftsman have been in the Navy, and if so is it possible to access the records of a person who was a Naval Draftsman in 1945?

I have someone who is a Naval Draftsman leaving UK for Australia on the ship "Umtata" in 1945, but do not know if he was emigrating, or just travelling due to work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My father was a draughtsman in the Admiralty from about 1938 to his retirement in 1976. He lived in Plymouth, did an apprenticeship in the dockyard as a boiler maker, then learnt his skill in the Dockyard school and then when WW2 started was posted to Bath to work in the Drawing offices there....... he wouldd go all around uk for sea trials and go to warship launches. He went to the USA in the early 70's for sea trials of a vessel that was being built and designed by his dept. So your man could have done the same.

If any record exists then maybe the Ministry of Defence might be your port of call, or the National Archives at Kew may have some information leaflets.

Incidentally, when linen was in short supply after the war, he would bring old drawings home, and my mother would boil the drawing away to get the cloth to make underclothes and hankies!

Anne

[Wilkes_ml]

Since my initial post, I have since made contact with relatives of the man in question, and they are pretty sure that the one I am looking for remained in the UK, married and is still alive. So the one that is a naval draftsman is unlikely to be connected unless he did return to England.

However, thanks for all your interesting replies - even if my man wasn't a naval draftsman, the information may be useful to others in the future.