# South Africans that joined the British Merchant Navy



## primrose (Mar 28, 2014)

Hi I am trying to find my greatgrandmother's half brother who some sources say joined the British Merchant Navy in the late 1800's. 
His name Robert Marian Lamont Ross born about 1851 in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. He got married in 1876 in the Orange Free State, South Africa. An some of his children were born in Natal, South Africa. I think it must of been in Durban, Natal were he may have joined the navy. Thanks.


----------



## gray_marian (Jan 15, 2014)

Hello Primrose, Only found two certs for Robert Ross, his marriage from Ancestry: 

Name:	Robert Marian Lamont Ross
Gender:	Male
Age:	25
Record Type:	Marriage
Birth Date:	abt 1851
Place of Origin:	Winburg
Marriage Date:	31 Jul 1876
Marriage Place:	Free State, South Africa
Church:	Winburg
Spouse:	Elizabeth Maria Catharina Van Den Berg
Occupation: Veeboer ie, cattle‐farmer; rancher; stock farmer; stockman
Religion:	Nederduits Gereformeerde
Collection:	Free State: Marriages, 1838-1940
4 children: 2 sons & 2 daughters. Can send a little more detail of their marriages if you don't have them already.

And a British Trade Union membership register for Durban which doesn't list a full name: From FMP
Trade	Carpenters & Joiners
Union name	Amalgamated Society Of Carpenters & Joiners
Union branch	Durban 2
Union branch as transcribed	Durban 2
County	Natal
Country	South Africa
Archive	Modern Records Centre
Archive reference	MSS.78/ASCJ/2/3/2
Title	Reference Book
Dates	1911


----------



## primrose (Mar 28, 2014)

Thanks, so I wonder were the person got the info that he had joined the merchant navy? 

Thanks, I do have his marriage certificate. I thought if he had joined the navy maybe he had died at sea. Will have to go and search all the Natal records.


----------



## gray_marian (Jan 15, 2014)

Hi Primrose, It's not to say Robert wasn't a seaman it's just that I could not locate any record from either site pertaining to him being in the MN.
Hopefully others here may suggest another avenue to explore. Best of luck. Marian


----------



## primrose (Mar 28, 2014)

Thanks gray- marian, just thought of some thing else. Maybe he joined the navy to do his part in WWI


----------



## gray_marian (Jan 15, 2014)

Hi Primrose, Don't have access for Personnel in Royal Navy, However Hugh, here on SN may be the one to advise you. Will send a pm to him.

As for family folklore just sometimes..........should be taken with a pinch of salt!(*)) I searched for a gt,uncle who was apparently a Tennis coach, turned out he worked behind the bar of said club. (Bounce)Marian.


----------



## primrose (Mar 28, 2014)

That was funny., sorry. But I can relate, another story was of a photo of my great grandfather's fishing ship. It was said it hung on a wall behind a bar counter same place in Saltcoats, Scotland. But it turned out that the ship was not his, all he was was the first mate of the large merchant sailing ship. And I still do not know if their was a photo of the ship.


----------



## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hi Primrose,
I can't find him in any Merchant Navy or RN records. That is not to say that he didn't serve just that I can't see him. I doubt he would have been involved in WW1 with the RN as he would be about 63 at the beginning of the war. More likely to be MN and although not unheard of to serve at that age in the MN, it would be unlikely. Personal MN records for WW1 have sadly not survived with the only way to search is via crew agreements from a known ship to start with.
Regards
Hugh


----------



## primrose (Mar 28, 2014)

Thanks Hugh. I will do some more digging into the Natal records that are online and see if I can find a death notice for him. He could not have simply disappeared, he must be some were.


----------

