A Newton on the Waratah's maiden voyage?

[Tinker]

Family legend(!) says we have a Frank Newton who was ship's engineer on the Waratah's maiden voyage, but I can't find hair or hide of him. All the possibles I have found so far were either too young, too old or dead by 1908!

There is a fair bit of info available about the Waratah's second voyage, during which the ship disappeared without trace off the coast of South Africa, but nothing I can find about the first. Does anyone know whether there is a list of Waratah's crew members out there somewhere, that would confirm Frank's existence, and possibly give me some clues about him?

[Geoffers]

The inward passenger list in 1909 for her arrival at Plymouth and London is at TNA in BT26/387/31

Have you found his Engineer's Certificate?

Connected with the loss of the Waratah there is this TNA Document - Shipping Casualty Investigation Papers (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=78170&CATLN=4&Highlight=%2CWARATAH&accessmethod=0)

also try this crew list (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=2308362&CATLN=6&Highlight=%2CWARATAH&accessmethod=0)also at TNA

and the enquiry into its loss (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=5952878&CATLN=6&Highlight=%2CWARATAH&accessmethod=0)

The passenger list for her last voyage is on findmypast

[Tinker]

Thank you for your help, Geoffers.
I've come across a website which deals with the Waratah's second voyage and the aftermath fairly comprehensively, so that's not too much of a problem. However, Frank only sailed on the first voyage, so I'm told, and thus survived. I know that the "Waratah" was built in 1908 for the Blue Anchor Line, but not the actual date, or place of origin, of her first voyage.

The main problem is that I have no idea where this Frank springs from, and no other info than that he was a "ship's engineer." I've traced all the Newton lines I know about, but can't find a Frank of the right age! What's got me sniffing at his trail is the fact that it's just come to light that Grace Newton, one of my great grandfather's sisters, had a son named Frank G. Newton, born 1917. I initially thought Frank might be illegitimate, but then wondered if this Frank Newton (possibly a distant cousin to Grace?) was his father. He would have been in his twenties at the time, if he was two or three years older than Grace. (I hope this all makes sense...I'm rambling, rather!)

On a slightly different tack, how would I go about finding an 'Engineer's certificate,' and what information would it show?

[Geoffers]

To save my fingers an awful lot of typing, have a browse of TNA's web-site research guides (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/researchguidesindex.asp?j=1#m) - click on the links prefixed 'Merchant Seamen'

If would help your research if your chap was an Officer - see this guide in particular (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=131)

Also, try to get to a record centre which has the 'Mercantile Navy List' which has been published annually since 1857 and is a good way of tracing an officer's career. I believe there is a full set at the Guildhall Library in London and TNA. A partial set at the Society of Genealogists. I would expect that libraries/record centres/musuems connected with (historically)larger ports would also have a set - e.g. Southampton, possibly Bristol??

[Geoffers]

Also, NMM (http://www.nmm.ac.uk/index.php) has some photos of the Waratah and possibly may have mention of her in their records.

The historic photograph (http://www.nmm.ac.uk/cgi-bin/empower#search)collection lists these photos

WARATAH (Br) 50.1 1908
Passenger/cargo liner
Blue Anchor Line Ltd, (W Lund & Sons, managers)
G163 (4) C 12x10. Blurred.
58/5119 (4) D Microfilm copy negative of G163.
G165 (4) C 12x10. Similar to G163.
58/5118 (4) D Microfilm copy negative of G165.
P878 (--) A 1908-1909 Deck scene from forecastle.
P18139 (4) B A copy of a Gould original not in the Collection,
but very similar to G163 and G165.
P18140 (3) C At quayside. A copy negative

[Tinker]

Thank you very much, Geoffers. That's really helpful. I shall go away and see what I can find.