Naval brickwall

[Lyndafinn]

I have searched everywhere I know of for any record of my uncle, Roy Barnaby RADLEY who was a Sparks in the Royal Navy in WW2, and who seem to have no records of him that I can find.
After demob, he joined the Merchant Navy and was Sparks on SS Mobil Brilliant (an oil company ship). I'm not sure how long he was in the Merchant but when he left them, he went to a place called Calder Hall, now called Sellafields in the North of England. He was working there (as I know not what) last time I saw him. I'd be a teenager then and I'm 67 now.
I recently saw a photo on Facebook of a young man who is very like him and thought he may be a grandson but I've had no response from that quarter either.
I am not sure, but Roy could have been born in September 1930.
I would very much value any advice on what to do now. I have tried Forces Reunited and some military lists to no avail...not a sniff of him. However, this may be my fault, I may be doing it all wrong.
Thanks
Lynda

[Pam Downes]

Putting two and two together from a birth registration in 1930, then that probably is Roy. If he's an uncle 'by birth' (i.e. brother to either your father or mother) then the maiden name of his mother will be the same of the maiden name of your father or mother.
However, born in 1930 would make him only 15 even at the end of WW2 and I doubt he would have got away with claiming he was older than he was. He may well have done his National Service in the Navy (he would have been conscripted after his 18th birthday), before going on to join the Merchant Navy.

I don't know enough about military stuff to know if National Service records would be held with normal service records, but if they are, then the MoD still have them. You can only apply for them if you can provide a death certificate, and unless Roy has been deceased for twenty-five years you will only be given a limited amount of information.
Have a read of the Navy part of https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/tutorials, and especially note "Prior to 1972 Royal Naval personnel were given their service records on discharge. Only pay details were kept for Pension purposes. Therefore the only information held on RN personnel who served prior to 1972 is their Service details (number, rank, name etc) and a list of dates and ships/shore bases."

Presumably you've no other relatives you can ask about Roy. Forces Reunited was a good choice.
You could try writing to the local paper(s) for the Sellafield area, asking if anyone knows/knew him.

Pam

[Lyndafinn]

Hello Pam. Yes, you're quite right about a lot of this. Uncle Roy was given his mother's maiden name Barnaby and when I think of his birthdate, he probably wasn't born in 1930 because photos I have of him as a child show him only a few years younger than my Dad who was born in 1917. So probably 1920 would be more likely. I've posted the detail I have in another place and if anyone can help I'm sure they will.

[christanel]

The only birth registration I can find on FreeBMD for a Roy B Radley with a mother's maiden name Barnaby is in 1930. I left all the spaces blank and just entered the name so this covers all areas from 1837 to 1983.

Births Sep 1/4 1930
Roy B Radley, mother's maiden name Barnaby, Registration district Bradford vol 9b page 175

Christina

[Lyndafinn]

So that birthdate was right after all. It's very unlikely indeed that there'll be 2 Roys in Bradford (our home town) with a mother named Barnaby!
I didn't know my Dad was so much older than Roy, maybe the photo I have of them as children has been wrongly marked. Thanks so much for that Christina.

[Lyndafinn]

Christina, do you know how I can find electoral rolls for places in the UK? I'm looking for a place called Holmrook in Cumbria UK, it's quite small but there is, apparently, a Roy B Radley living there. Now, my Uncle Roy used to work at Sellafield (then called Calder Hall) which is a spit away from Holmrook. This could be him and if it is, I'd like his address and to write to him. He'll be 83, so I don't have much time

[christanel]

I have sent you a private message (pm)

I thought I posted this a couple of hours ago but evidently not.

Christina

[Pam Downes]

I've also sent you a PM.

Pam