William D (Skipper) Anderson

[mick]

William D Anderson died in London in 1916 and according to a newspaper cut out of that time which unfortunately does not give the name of the newspaper, he was a Crimea veteran who was a favourite model for artists and much seen in adverts and posters. Family legend has it that his face was used for adverts for Skippers sardines.
For someone who was so well known in late victorian and edwardian times, i am having great difficulty in finding out where he fits into the family.
I would be grateful if anyone could let me know where i could start looking for Crimean war records. Also if the name Skipper Anderson rings a bell with anyone any information will be very helpful.
Mick

[Chrissyan]

Not answering your question about the Crimean war but I just wondered, have you seen this? http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1GlgQGDa4cgC&pg=PA143&lpg=PA143&dq=%22william+Anderson%22++sardines&source=web&ots=bnq5CmF-Nm&sig=JTSzOH4IzmOsoi3PUud4VMs08hk&hl=en :)

[Peter Goodey]

Family legends are usually best put on the back burner. Conventional family history research will uncover the connection - if there is one!

On the other hand if you wanted to work on William Anderson's line, to find out whether it intersects yours, you have a year of death as a starting point.

[mick]

Thanks for the link - this should help me progress a little further.
Next step is to order the death cert to see if that throws anything up.
Mick

[Michelle Davis]

Hi, I was just browsing and came across your comments. I have been researching my history and had been talking to an Aunt and she told me that the man on the Skippers Sardines tins was my Grandfather 2 times removed. He was a man called William Bibby who was known around the area of Birkdale as Old man Bibby and was asked to sit for many an artist, I have a photo of him as he appeared on the tin. He was a lifeboat man in the area and should of gone out on the night of a storm when all hands but 2 where lost at sea. This was recently covered on the BBC series Coast.

[Mutley]

I believe the artist for Skippers was John Gilroy, later to work on the Guinness adverts. I don't know if there is a biography for him that may have his subject's name included. He was working for S.H. Benson advertising agency.

[mick]

I have been in contact with the Norwegian canning museum in Stavanger and they were kind enough to send me documents that show Skipper Anderson was in fact William Duncan Anderson. He was an old naval reserve man who was born in Oxford in the late 1830's. He joined the navy at a young age and travelled as far as the far east. On retirement he worked as a photographers and artists model and sat as a model for Sir William Reid Dick and Sir Luke Fildes among others. One of his photos was seen in a photograhers window in Oxford Street, puchased for two guineas along with the copyright for a further five guineas, and subsequently used as the trademark for Skippers sardines.
He lived in London after retirement and much of his spare time was given to the care of young strays in the East End.
Mick

[Chrissyan]

That is very interesting Mick, I am so pleased that the canning museum got back to you. Your relative turns up every where. I got interested because he turned up on a collage style photo of fishermen of my town. Someone pointed out on our town forum they had seen his photo before & he didn't seem to fit in with the rest of them, so I started to do internet research & found him & your post in the process so decided to tell you. Someone later posted this which they photographed in the Whitby lifeboat house ecently,it was accompanying his photo, they knew in Whitby who he was all along.

http://star.walagata.com/w/chrisand/theoldsalt.jpg


Good luck with your research.

[mick]

Thanks for the link. I have a very old painting/print of him still in its original frame dating back to around 1900 which has been handed down over the years. I must admit he does bear a very strong resemblance to ancestors on the Anderson side of the family but still haven't gone back far enough to establish a definite link.

[Michelle Davis]

Hi Mick,

Well it just goes to show that you shouldn't believe all that you are told by aged relatives Lol, i wonder how that story got around but never mind.

[Chrissyan]

Sorry Michelle maybe there is some connection in some way to your family, good luck with your research. :) I was just investigating this out of curiousity, but all the evidence points to the Skipper sardines man being Mr Anderson. This is actually my surname, but I don't think I am related to him in any way, more is the shame, he must have been a character.

Mick take care of that painting, I have a feeling it might be quite valuable. & do let us know what else you find, keep us posted please :D

[mick]

Hi Michelle.
I wouldn't dismiss the family story out of hand. In the late 1800's and early 1900's ,portraits and photos of old mariners were very poplular and there were a number of people who posed for these pictures.

[Michelle Davis]

Thanks for that Mick. I have traced the person i speak of to Birkdale where he was a Joiner by trade but was also a fisherman, there is mention of a William Bibby belonging to the life boats of the area so may be there is some truth in parts of it.

[David Sherwood]

I have just come across the comments about "Skipper Anderson". I am currently reading "My Life" the autobiography of Angus Watson. He is the person who set up the firm involved with the canning and sale of Skipper sardines and the use of the picture of William Duncan Anderson in the adverts. The book gives a lot of the detail to the sardine business.

[erikamouttet]

William D Anderson died in London in 1916 and according to a newspaper cut out of that time which unfortunately does not give the name of the newspaper, he was a Crimea veteran who was a favourite model for artists and much seen in adverts and posters. Family legend has it that his face was used for adverts for Skippers sardines.
For someone who was so well known in late victorian and edwardian times, i am having great difficulty in finding out where he fits into the family.
I would be grateful if anyone could let me know where i could start looking for Crimean war records. Also if the name Skipper Anderson rings a bell with anyone any information will be very helpful.
Mick

Hi Mick, I am wondering how much you have been able to find out about the gentleman whose face is on the Skippers Sardine tin as my Grandmother told us that he was her father. Her name was Florence Kathleen (Anderson I think) and she was married to Albert (?) Hall.
Any information would be welcomed.
Sincerely
Erika