England to Australia 1915

[Mary Young]

WILLIAM BRUCE MAIN, a ship-rigger, married my great-aunt, LOUISA LEWIS in Glasgow, 1908.
They lived in Glasgow and had three children:
1909 EDITH BANKS MAIN
1910 JOHN MAIN
1913 WILLIAM BRUCE MAIN (jr)

According to family lore, William sailed alone to Australia sometime in 1913 to make a new start, expecting his family to follow. Sadly, Lousa died suddenly in 1914, and William returned to claim his children and take them to Australia.

However, a search of the PROV Unassisted Passenger Lists at https://proarchives.imagineering.com....sp?searchid=23 - surname "Main", 1915-1917 - shows the children, now aged 6, 4 and 2, apparently sailing alone for Australia as Unassisted Passengers (i.e. William Main sr not indexed). They arrived at "Port B" in August 1915.

Family Name; First Name; Age; Month; Year; Ship; Port; Fiche; Page
MAIN, EDITH; AGE 6; AUG 1915, MILTIADES; B; 907; 004
MAIN, JOHN; AGE 4; AUG 1915; MILTIADES; B; 907; 004
MAIN, WILLIAM; AGE 2; AUG 1915; MILTIADES; B; 907; 004

Can anyone help me with:
(1) How long would the voyage have taken?
(2) Where was "Port B"?
(3) Can one view an image or transcript of the Passenger List on-line?
(4) Are passengers listed in family groups, so the "guardian" would be identified?

My cousins and I would be grateful for any help in filling out this family story.

[Procat]

Hi Mary,

The shipping list on a pay per view site shows them as:

Date of Departure: 16th June 1915
Embarked from: London

Main Edith B, Occupation Nil, Age 6 1/2, Country of last permanent residence Scotland, Intended residence Australia
Main John, Occupation Nil, Age 4 1/2, Country of last permanent residence Scotland, Intended residence Australia
Main William, Occupation Nil, Age 2, Country of last permanent residence Scotland, Intended residence Australia

Passengers are listed by Contract Ticker number and the children are all grouped together.

The ship was bound for Brisbane but that does not mean they disembarked there.

Port B simply means that the passengers were British.

[ChristineR]

William may have been working on the ship, which is why he does not show up as a passenger.
edited later...
The image is on Ancestry.
Inward, list of crew and passengers arrived in the ship TSS Miltiades, registered at Aberdeen, W J Burge, Master
from the Port of London, via Melbourne to Sydney, New South Wales, 6th August 1915. (how long it took)
The children are in the 'children under 12' column, and I could not see their father in the extensive crew list.

[spison]

Family Name; First Name; Age; Month; Year; Ship; Port; Fiche; Page
MAIN, EDITH; AGE 6; AUG 1915, MILTIADES; B; 907; 004
MAIN, JOHN; AGE 4; AUG 1915; MILTIADES; B; 907; 004
MAIN, WILLIAM; AGE 2; AUG 1915; MILTIADES; B; 907; 004

Can anyone help me with:
(1) How long would the voyage have taken?
(2) Where was "Port B"?
(3) Can one view an image or transcript of the Passenger List on-line?
(4) Are passengers listed in family groups, so the "guardian" would be identified?

I often visit the library and am happy to read the indent for you next time I'm there (if the library has this date - which I'm sure it should). The indent should tell how long the voyage took and what English ports - if any - before London the ship visited (port B). If the children were travelling with a guardian they will PROBABLY be grouped with the guardian but there is no guarantee of this. As Christina says the father may have worked their passage. At this age they would be listed as a family group (and they are on the same page). The indent may also show where they disembarked.

Jane

[ChristineR]

Electoral Rolls (NSW covered on A*y 1930-1954)

1936, Darling Harbour, West Sydney, New South Wales
William Bruce Main, 71 Kent street, labourer

1937 Darling Harbour, West Sydney, New South Wales
William Bruce Main, 71 Kent street, labourer
William Main, 25 George Street North, manager
Mary Main, 25 George street North, home duties
Robert Main, 39 Argyle street, labourer

1943 Lidcombe South, NSW
George Clayton Main, 25 Harrow road, Lidcombe, labourer
William Bruce Main, Lidcombe State Hospital, sailmaker

1954 Liverpool, NSW
William Bruce Main, State Hospital, ships rigger


PS - Jane, I had amended my original post above, after sighting the inwards image.

[Procat]

There is this death in the NSW indexes:

4060/1959 MAIN WILLIAM BRUCE, FATHER JOHN, MOTHER MARGARET, LOCATION PARRAMATTA

Liverpool is near Parramatta so this may be the chap Christine found in the electoral rolls.

If this is him you can purchase the certificate here.

[Procat]

Nothing in the Rookwood Cemetery transcriptions unfortunately.

[Procat]

There is an Edith Banks Main in the Victorian electoral roll on Ancestry in 1931 - but whether she is the one we are searching is unknown:

Electoral Year: 1931
State: Victoria
District: Bendigo
Subdistrict: Dunolly

Main, Edith Banks, Bealiba Station, Bealiba, Home Duties, Female.

There are no other Mains with her.

[ChristineR]

Nothing in the Rookwood Cemetery transcriptions unfortunately.

Found him at Rookwood Independant (Website), son of the same name buried with him.

William Bruce Main , aged 70, buried 24 Feb 1959
Denomination Presbyterian
Section 5G
Grave Number 0001092

William Bruce Main, aged 77
Date of Interment 27 Oct 1990

[Procat]

Found him at Rookwood Independant (Website)

And duly bookmarked.