Barry Dock 1920's

[waipalass]

Could some one please tell me what a 'water clerk' did especially if it was related to being employed by an Optician!
A relative, Lionel Edgar Curtis worked for a firm at Barry Dock for many years as did his son and grandson. In the 1911 census it states he is a worker as above, and his son, Claude was an assistant and later his son Leslie.Lionels other sons were involved in ship repairs and ships chandlery. Its the 'water clerk' that has me puzzled especially tied in with an optician.

[selwynfroggitt]

I had to look on Google but a Water Clerk appears to be someone who works on shore such at a ships chandlers firm but when a ship is arriving he rows out to the vesell to offer his card and his employers services....
As you may have realised this is obvious for a ships chandlers but I can not see an optician using this method of drumming up business...but possible

[waipalass]

Many thanks for your response. Yes, like you I cannot see the connection between the two. I shall have to dig around the family for a better explanation. It is quite clear on the 1911 census. In a former occupation Mr Curtis was a clothiers assistant!

I do have in my possession a clipping from a Barry( ?)newspaper ( unfortunately not named) in which the writer refers to the three generations of Curtises who are all employed by the same firm at Cardiff Docks - about whom "he wrote on Monday" - The date on the clipping is March 20/1939. The record referred to here was  three of his sons having never missed a day of schooling at Holton Rd School Barry Dock.

[bigmagicdog]

A very good chance that your newspaper came from the Barry Dock News which was the local paper that time. There was also a smaller papr called the  Barry Herald which was taken over by the BDN

[cacasmum]

My granfather was a Greek imigrant and owned a cafe on the Barry Docks at this time would anyone have any information on this.



Cheers

Sharon

[bigmagicdog]

I remember a cafe in Subway road, adjacent to number 1 dock in the 50's. By then however the doscks were easing off. Another cafe run by aGreek was the Blue cafe which was situated in Thompson Street. i had many a coffee there but never knew their name. It has now been demolished.