What ship would he be on?

[Merflerher]

Hello all,
This may sound like a really daft question, but I know very little about navy records so pardon my ignorance.
My grandfather George Fletcher is listed as an able seaman on his marriage certificate. He was 23, so it's likely he had been in the navy for a couple of years. I've tried looking for him on the TNA catalogue but there are several George Fletchers. How do I find out what ship he was likely to have been on? The family lived in Tewkesbury - would there have been a recruiting place nearby, would men from Gloucestershire have been sent to a particular ship - does it work like army regiments, or were they randomly allocated to a ship? Does 'able seaman' definitely mean the navy, or is it likely he was marines or merchant navy? There aren't any other family documents to corroborate anything, but I know my dad was in the navy too so I'm assuming he followed in Grandad's footsteps and therefore that George was in the navy.
Any help would be gratefully received :)

Margaret

[Peter Goodey]

If you had provided more details (eg dates, birthplace) I would have looked for you.

Have a look here for a start -
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/royal-navy-service.asp?WT.hp=Registers%20of%20Seamen%27s%20Se rvices

If that's the wrong period, have a look through the Royal Navy series of research guides here (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/researchguidesindex.asp)

[Merflerher]

Doh, I forgot to give a date! The marriage took place in 1919 in Tewkesbury, but I don't know whether he was still on active service or had left/been discharged.

[Merflerher]

Yay, I've found him! Stupidly I had been putting Tewkesbury in, when what it wanted was place of birth, which I know is Southwark. It helps to read the screen :redface: I tried it just with his name this time, and he was on the first page.

Many thanks, Peter.

[Peter Goodey]

Yay, I've found him!

Jolly good. Credit card at the ready! :biggrin:

[Merflerher]

I've downloaded the record and it's definitely him, that's great :)

Presumably as my Dad was serving during WW2 I would have to apply directly to the Navy to get the records? How fussy are they, to your knowledge, about kinship? I'm not his next-of-kin, his second wife is, and I've asked her permission to get the details but she won't comply :(

[Peter Goodey]

I'm sure you can word it in such a way that you achieve the desired aim!

I've no personal experience of that vintage of RN records but my understanding (which somebody may correct) is that they were given their service records when they were discharged and only very basic details were retained.

You would have to decide for yourself whether it would be worth the money.

Perhaps an expert will tell me I'm wrong.

[Nicolina]

As it is for your father's record, I say go ahead and apply. What is the worst that can happen? If they say no then what have you lost?

[Geoffers]

Presumably as my Dad was serving during WW2 I would have to apply directly to the Navy to get the records?

Details of how to apply are on the Veterans Agency web-site (http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/royal_navy.html)

[Peter Goodey]

Ah. Geoffers' link must be where I got my vague understanding from :biggrin:

[Geoffers]

Like you Peter, I'm sure that the certificate of kinship can be worded to achieve the desired aim.