# Sub Lieut J.Green RNVR



## chriskirk (Jun 7, 2015)

In August 1916 this gentleman attended a navigation course at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich. He recorded all his course notes in a beautiful copper-plate script in a notebook that has come into my possession. I would like to be able to locate any living relatives to pass on to them this record of his service.
Can anyone please tell me how I can trace his service record from this sparse information I have and from there perhaps locate his relatives.Your advice would be much appreciated.


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hello Chris and welcome.
It is a difficult question you pose given the lack of information so that needs to be taken into account with your next step. My sources suggest his first name was John and the only record I can find would be held at Kew in piece *ADM 337/122/276* It will cost you £3.30 to download but if it is the correct man this should be his service record. It would be your call if you wished to take a punt. Good luck.

Regards
Hugh


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## chriskirk (Jun 7, 2015)

Thanks Hugh, I've taken the punt and this John Green, a Canadian, was at Greenwich at the right time on a course of instruction from 5.8.1916 and then joined M/L 203 on 12/1916 until 16.10.1918 when he was admitted to Haslar. He was discharged from there on 4.2.19 and went home to Vancouver to be demobilised 6.3.1919
I wonder if there are records at Greenwich of attendees on courses that could make a connection to the exact J.Green rather than having to make an assumption, even though it looks like a good one. 
Regards,
Chris


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hi Chris,

I am not sure about Greenwich, can you give anymore identifying information such as his date of birth, address etc?

Regards
Hugh


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## chriskirk (Jun 7, 2015)

I've only got his notebook Hugh. All that is in that is Sub Lieut J. Green RNVR Royal Naval College Greenwich.
However I do think you have got the right man. After a bit of research on the National Archives entry on him I found a website devoted to these motor launch men, called The 'Movies'. It is www.motorlaunchpatrol.net and tells the story of these 550 or so craft built in USA and assembled in Canada in 1915/16. Crews were recruited in Canada, New Zealand etc. and it looks as if our man was one of about a dozen Canadians who joined in 1916 and were given a crash course at Greenwich to turn them into seamen. The most well recorded of their number was Capt John Hunter on ML81 and his story is there on the website. I am trying to get the email address of his son, Andy Hunter, who helped piece the history together. It would seem they both might have started at the same time. Chances are they will have known each other anyway if there were only 12 from Canada and it might be a much faster way of finding present day relatives than trying to plough through census records and such. I have his home address as 1729 Pendrell Street, Vancouver and there was a John D Green living there who was 10 or 12 yrs old in the 1911 census but goodness knows where his family might be after 100 years have passed.


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hello Chris, 

Does his service record that you downloaded give a date of birth and service number? Although we may have the right man, from previous experience I tend not to assume too much until the proof is there otherwise off you go down the wrong road.

I have him embarked on MEGANTIC at Liverpool on 25th February 1919 destination Halifax NS. There are other RNVR personnel travelling with him.

For information he was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

Regards
Hugh


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## chriskirk (Jun 7, 2015)

Hello Hugh,
The entry about him is taken from a foolscap ledger with two names per page. It doesn't really seem to be a formal service record. There's no service number or dob. I hope you can see the entry in the attachment OK.
He was finally discharged from Haslar on 14.2.19 so an embarkation date of 27.2.19 looks reasonable and he got home to Vancouver on 12.3.19. 
Chris


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