looking for charles mackay

[ahairyhaggis]

this is probably a massive long shot but have to try. my great uncle Charles Mackay, born july 1902 in thurso, caithness, scotland had at some stage in his life moved to Durban South Africa and never returned home. We believe he was married either there or had taken his wife there. Not sure if he had children. The last record we have off him was in aberdeen. He did write home to his mother but the generation of his era has passed so nobody knows what happened of him.

can anyone give me a direction on how i could get info on him in south africa.

any help is greatly appreciated.

Haggis

[christanel]

Hello Haggis and welcome to Brit-Gen :clap:

We have a moderator on BG, name Sue Mackay, who will be able to give you some pointers on genealogy in South Africa.

There will also be other members who know a lot more than me about that area.

Christanel

[ahairyhaggis]

many thanks, any help would be a great. :-)

[gasser]

The last record we have off him was in aberdeen.

For the benefit of any potential helpers, can you be more specific please.

[janbooth]

I don't know if there were two Charles MACKAYs born 1902 in Thurso, but Ancestry have a Canadian Arrival document at Quebec on the ship Metagama dated 11 September 1920 for a Charles MacKAY, aged 18, born Thurso, a Seaman, Presbyterian by religion, who is going to be employed by a Capt D J MANAS?, RN? CM9 Dockyard, Halifax. Any likely connection to your Charles??

Janet

[ahairyhaggis]

The last record of him is in aberdeen 1933 and after that it goes cold. We know he was torpedoed during the war but not sure was he part of the merchant navy etc. I remember my grandmother (his sister) telling me that he could have been torpedoed twice but I can't back this up. There was a couple from thurso that used to visit him and his wife in Durban but they are no longer here and as far as I know that was a long time ago, sorry for being vague but I just don't know. I have a suspicion his wife could have been from thurso but again I don't know.

[ahairyhaggis]

I don't know if there were two Charles MACKAYs born 1902 in Thurso, but Ancestry have a Canadian Arrival document at Quebec on the ship Metagama dated 11 September 1920 for a Charles MacKAY, aged 18, born Thurso, a Seaman, Presbyterian by religion, who is going to be employed by a Capt D J MANAS?, RN? CM9 Dockyard, Halifax. Any likely connection to your Charles??

Janet

Hi Janet,

That is my uncle.

Adrian

[Sue Mackay]

We have a moderator on BG, name Sue Mackay, who will be able to give you some pointers on genealogy in South Africa.



|wave| hallo, and welcome to BG. Have a look at this thread (http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/showthread.php/21140-On-Line-Sources-for-South-African-Genealogy) re research in South Africa. Sadly my South African roots are all through my mother and Mackay is my husband's surname. As far as I know none of his Mackays went to SA.