RootsChat.Com
General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: 2ron2 on Tuesday 03 February 09 13:28 GMT (UK)
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Good morning, The message below I originally posted in the England forum but it was suggested I would have better luck posting it here.
William Louis Cross b May 6 1893 by family stories ran away from home (Norwood Ontario, Canada) and joined the Navy at age 12! He surfaces in 1921 back in his home town, visiting parents and marries. His marriage registration says he is a widower and it has been confirmed by the family. He apparently had a son with his first wife (name unknown) in England and nothing more is known of the child. While he is visiting his parents at this time a newspaper report in the local paper mentions he had served in the Royal Navy in ww1, Of special interest is the fact he survived THREE ship sinkings: "Mr Cross sailed the seas for several years and during the war with the Royal Navy. Three of the vessels upon which he sailed were torpedoed and each time he had a narrow escape form the fishes - once near Gibraltor and twice in the Mediterranean."
I would assume he was a recipient of medals and may have received some special recommendation for his survivals, but I can find no information to that effect. Not knowing the names of any ships makes it particularly difficult. Websites I have accessed to date for military/naval records have drawn a blank. The mention of having sailed the seas and the Royal Navy made me suspect he was in the Merchant Marine at one time. Hoping I can get some assistance to find out more about this ancestor's unique past, ships he served on, etc.
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http://www.gwpda.org/naval/1cdncvy.htm
This site may be of interest?
He may have joined the Royal Canadian Navy? Im not sure how you would research a guy in that field.
If he was British Merchant Navy there will be docs in Board of Trade files at Kew.
Ady
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You might have tried this already but I found my GtGrandad's (also ran off to join up, and fibbed about his age!) naval record via the National Archives (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/) - literally by putting his (fairly distinctive) name into the basic search. Don't know if they would have any Canadian records, or which navy your relative ended up in, but it might be worth a look. I only had to pay £3.50 to download the image, didn't have to order a postal copy or anything.
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I tried the National Archives site for records and they have one William Louis Cross but born in England and in 1897. Doesn't appear to be the same person.