Coal Trimmer?

[glen cooper]

My grandfarther Thomas Cooper b1884 he lived in Itchen village and was a steam ship coal trimmer ??? can anyone tellme what that is .
thankyou Glen|help|

[georgiep]

Hi Glen
This link has a little information.
Georgie

http://www.occupationalinfo.org/91/911687018.html

[Peter Goodey]

A sort of assistant stoker. A trimmer moved coal so that it was within reach of the fireman and helped to remove ashes.

[3badge AB]

Hi Glen,
I can tell you where Itchen village is where your ancestor came from it is on the East side of that great maritime port of Southampton and was the birth place of many Merchant Navy seamen who crewed famous ships such as the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth and also RMS Titanic, it is still there although largely absorbed into Southampton city

[3badge AB]

Hi Glen,
I noticed from the information on your Grandfather that according to the UK 1901 census he is listed as a "labourer on coal wharf" in the parish of St Mary's, on the opposite bank of the river Itchen to where he was born where coal wharves and coaling jettys until quite recently, the Parish of Saint Mary's
is in an area of lower Southampton that was home to thousands of Merchant Seamen and it was probably a step natural on the ladder to going to sea, he may well have had a pint or two in the same pubs as me, athough I was there
some 70 years later.

[glen cooper]

Hi Glen,
I can tell you where Itchen village is where your ancestor came from it is on the East side of that great maritime port of Southampton and was the birth place of many Merchant Navy seamen who crewed famous ships such as the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth and also RMS Titanic, it is still there although largely absorbed into Southampton city

thankyou I am slowly getting to know Itchen and surround my dad went to sea as well before he came to aus.
Glen