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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: LouiseB12 on Saturday 19 May 12 18:15 BST (UK)
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The HMS Royal Arthur served as the flagship of the Australian Station from 1897 to 1904. She provided the escort for the Royal Yacht Ophir carrying the Duke & Duchess of Cornwall and York (the future King George V and Queen Mary) to Australia to open the new Federal Parliament in 1901. She left the Australia Station on 6 April 1904 and returned to Portsmouth, England. Does anyone know how I can find out where she was mainly berthed during her time in Australia between 1901 and 1904, or any other information about her time in Australia? My great grand aunt met her future husband in Australia at some time during this period. She was in Tasmania in around 1895 for several years but may have moved on to Melbourne. Many thanks.
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Finding this ship through the internet might be difficult since I believe that during WW2 HMS Royal Arthur was the name designated to the shore station situated at Butlin's Holiday Camp Skegness. I think there will be many more hits for this than for the one wanted.
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Duplicate poste here
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,598650.0.html
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I don't understand what has happened here. When I click on the post from dawnsh I just get returned to my original message. Why has this been locked?
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From trove the digitised newspapers
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=%22HMS+royal+arthur%22~2&l-decade=190
There are about 1000 articles and a couple of books
regards,
Ros
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Thanks that's great. I'll start working my way through them. I wonder if they relate just to the Royal visit or to the whole period?
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I've just had a quick look and see that it is the whole period. That's been really helpful thanks again.
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It's a lot of reading LouiseB12 :) :D
I think many of the articles were repeated in several newspapers. Perhaps as a starter you could restrict to say the Sydney Morning Herald and probably get a fairly good overview.
cheers,
Ros
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I don't understand what has happened here. When I click on the post from dawnsh I just get returned to my original message. Why has this been locked?
Hi
I posted a reply on the other topic to let people that you had made 2 identical posts and that this one had replies.
The moderating team do this to prevent people spending time doing research when answers may have been given on the other topic.
The moderator for Hampshire has locked the topic that had no replies.
Dawn
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Thanks for explaining. I posted it on the other site as I thought there might be Portsmouth connections in Hampshire who could help but the info I got from the trove hint has been invaluable.
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I've just found a report in the New South Wales Police Gazette of 19 Dec 1901 that my relative, Thomas William Beecham (age 23, from Birmingham) was a deserter from HMS Royal Arthur at Lyttleton, NZ. A reward of £3 was offered for his apprehension within 2 years.
He had deserted from HMS Archer at Wellington, NZ in Sep 1901, and had been captured that same month and returned to the ship. His rank on HMS Archer was given as 2nd class petty officer, while his rank on HMS Royal Arthur was given as AB. Would demotion have been the punishment for the earlier desertion? If he was not apprehended within the 2 years, was the Navy no longer interested in finding him?
I'm anxious to find out what became of him. I see a Thomas William Beecham on Australian electoral rolls for a number of years. There's a death record in 1941, but the transcription lists the wrong name for the father, and the age is a couple of years off. There are also 2 marriage records on Ancestry, one for Thomas William Beecham to Amelia Gerken in 1908, another for Amelia Gerken to Wm Thos Beecham in 1906. Both show registration # 2470. Could I order a marriage cert by the #, without knowing which year? Would it show father's name & occupation?
Thanks for any help! This desertion info is the first break in a long-standing brick wall.
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Here is the death notice in 1941 for the Thomas William Beecham who married Amelia
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8198907
From Vic BDM his age was 66 and his father was William and registered in Coburg reg 7963
What are the parents names and when was he born (the one you want)?
cheers,
Ros
adding : sorry you said he was 23 in 1901 so born c1878
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Here is what to expect on Australian BDM certs http://www.jaunay.com/bdm.html so yes a Victorian marriage cert should show father's name and occupation.
I believe you can order by just giving registration number.
But wait a bit as some rootschatters have Victorian resources which show a little more than we can see on the indexes.
cheers,
Ros
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Dont know if this record would be of any use, tho it might have a name for next of kin maybe.
Name Beecham, Thomas William
Official Number: 174966
Place of Birth: Birmingham, Warwickshire
Date of Birth: 26 March 1878
You can order it online from National archives UK. Hope the link works ???
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D6689177
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Thomas William Beecham was born 26 December 1877, at 19 Sun St., Birmingmam. His parents were Samuel Beecham & Ellen Maria Farrell. (Ellen Maria was my GGM's sister.)
I found that record on the NA last night. Puzzled about the 26 Mar 1878 birth date. Perhaps an error because the birth was registered in the 1st Qtr of 1878? I don't think that the record would help much. I know what became of his family in England --- hoping to find a new one one in Australia.
Thanks so much for the obit! I did search Trove, but didn't find it. So William was his son! Looks as if the son was William Henry, born 1908, died 1967.
I charged ahead & ordered the uncertified marriage cert, but after I hit "Make Payment" I got transferred to a page which is still blank. :-( My credit card company found the charge, so I e-mailed the site.
Thanks, all! Looks as if I have work to do, and may even find some living descendants --- if the man who married Amelia was the same man.
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NZ Papers Past has lots of information about HMS Royal Arthur and other HM Ships on the Australian Station circa 1901 ;D
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast
For example
"THE SQUADRON. ITS COMPONENT VESSELS AND THEIR STAFFS" with names :)
Evening Post, Volume LXI, Issue 142, 18 June 1901, Page 2
Some info in the NZ newspaper
Evening Post, Volume LXII, Issue 71, 20 September 1901, Page 6
"A deserter from H.M.S ARCHER, named Thomas William Beecham, was arrested at Paraparaumu yesterday, and was this morning put on board his ship"
Cheers, JM
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There is a service record(s) for WW2 for a William Henry Beecham b 26 March 1908 in Brunswick Victoria.
His next-of-kin is Elsie Beecham.
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/
Just hit begin your search - no need to register. You can ask for it to be digitised if it is the right family (costs money)
Summary RAAF http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=869442
Summary Army http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=431791
cheers,
Ros
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Thanks, Rosball! If I ever get to see that marriage cert, I may know whether it is the right family. Hope I get an e-mail back soon, but I guess I may have to wait until next week.
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If you're impatient ;D you could telephone
Telephone
1300 369 367 (within Australia)
+61 3 9613 5111 (overseas callers)
cheers,
Ros
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Thanks, Rosball! If I ever get to see that marriage cert, I may know whether it is the right family. Hope I get an e-mail back soon, but I guess I may have to wait until next week.
It is 1906 :) as per the online index at VIC BDM :) and that same index has NIL returns using the year 1908 and Beecham/Gerken :) :) There are also 2 marriage records on Ancestry, one for Thomas William Beecham to Amelia Gerken in 1908, another for Amelia Gerken to Wm Thos Beecham in 1906. Both show registration # 2470. Could I order a marriage cert by the #, without knowing which year? Would it show father's name & occupation?
https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/index-search?action=getHistIdxSearchCriteria
1906 :)
Cheers, JM
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With my luck, I'd get put on terminal hold at overseas rates. I'll give them time to reply to the e-mail.
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With my luck, I'd get put on terminal hold at overseas rates. I'll give them time to reply to the e-mail.
If this were my family, and if I already knew that Vic BDM marriage certs have best info in the whole world, well there would be NO chance the family would be fed unless I had that mc for 1906 marriage :D http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,373754.0.html
ADDING, sometimes Ancestry indexes have flaws :-X
Cheers, JM
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Update re Victoria marriage cert order: Still no cert view, and no response (even the usual canned acknowledgement) to my e-mail sent via their contact page. A FB friend in Victoria called them, and after 20 minutes on hold reached someone at a service center who didn't know anything about anything. She left all of the details, but has had no response, so today also sent a message. At least she got the canned acknowledgement. And that's where it sits. They've been given my e-mail address 3 different ways (4 if you count the order form) and still haven't had the courtesy to send me an e-mail and perhaps suggest that they will deal with the problem. :P
Update to update: My friend's last effort did the trick. I just got an apology & a link to the cert. Very minimal info --- just names & birthplaces --- but with his birthplace being Birmingham I feel sure that it is he. :)