# My Grandfather’s voyage to South America



## loumorgan21 (Mar 23, 2021)

I’ve recently found a pack of old negatives which I believe are of his trip to South America at some point in the 1930s. He was born in Cardiff in 1908 and most of the men in the family were linked to the docks. I previously found a photo of a ship called Holmbury (I posted on here a long time ago) which seemed to be a possible for him as records said it sailed the route between Barry and the River Plate/Buenos Aires. He spoke of going to Buenos Aires and Rio. I believe he was in the merchant navy for this voyage and possibly was an assistant purser. His name was Donald Davies. I’m not sure if I have scanned these negatives the right way round as they had no text so possibly they could be reversed. I’m a bit confused as to where I go for merchant navy info, I am in London so could go to the National Archives or Greenwich when open if necessary.
Any tips would be hugely appreciated.


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## loumorgan21 (Mar 23, 2021)




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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello. 
Have you searched the records on Find My Past?





Britain, Merchant Seamen, 1918-1941 | findmypast.co.uk







search.findmypast.co.uk




If you do find him there, it should record all the vessels he sailed on either by name or official number.Together with dates of engagment. It should be an easy job to find out where he sailed to from the vessels logbook.
HOLMBURY Ex WIRRAL 1934, Official Number 147323. Her 1930's crew agreements and surviving logbooks are available from here


Crew List Index Search Results


!935 in NMM Greenwich, 1939 TNA Kew.
I cannot find any record of him in both world wars.
Any queries come back to us.

regards
Roger


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hello,
I am struggling to find him in the Fourth Register of Seamen as indicated by Roger above. Did he have middle name?
Regards
Hugh


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello Hugh,
Searched the Welsh Mariners site with the search term's Davies and Davis and drew a negative result.





Welsh Mariners Index


An on-line index of Welsh merchant masters, mates and engineers from 1845 to 1930



www.welshmariners.org.uk




*If we cannot find him in the fourth register or crew agreements of HOLMBURY* Can we assume he was a passenger. Note that he is not wearing uniform.
If he cannot be found as above, As a start the OP would be advised to look at the 1935 C/A's at NMM and the incoming/outgoing passenger lists at TNA or the commercial sites as indicated.






Liverpool: SS Holmbury (Alexander Shipping Company Ltd) travelling from Buenos Aires to... | The National Archives


The official archive of the UK government. Our vision is to lead and transform information management, guarantee the survival of today's information for tomorrow and bring history to life for everyone.




discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk









Outwards passenger lists: Port: Liverpool | The National Archives


The official archive of the UK government. Our vision is to lead and transform information management, guarantee the survival of today's information for tomorrow and bring history to life for everyone.




discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk









Outwards passenger lists: Port: Liverpool (1935 May to July [part]) | The National Archives


The official archive of the UK government. Our vision is to lead and transform information management, guarantee the survival of today's information for tomorrow and bring history to life for everyone.




discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk





regards
Roger


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## loumorgan21 (Mar 23, 2021)

Roger Griffiths said:


> Hello Hugh,
> Searched the Welsh Mariners site with the search term's Davies and Davis and drew a negative result.
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you all so much for looking. His middle name was Wilfred. In the 1939 register of England and Wales he is recorded as a Boatsman which doesn’t sound quite right to me if he had indeed been in the Merchant Navy even just briefly. He ended up as a lock gate man in Cardiff Docks until he retired. I so wish I had asked him more


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