Merchant Navy Records

[billy_leyland]

We are trying to trace a birth record for Henry George Leyland , we have a CR2 record which states year of birth as 1907 and place of birth as Colchester, however we cannot find any records. How likely is the information on the CR2 correct? It also has a discharge number 1093827 the stamp says MM Office Birkenhead dated 4 Sep 1926 and ship name as Pyrrhus 137 410 s Liverpool 4818. Any help or advice on where to look next would be appreciated.

[grangers14]

I wonder if he fibbed to get in?
Is that all you have on him?

[billy_leyland]

He moved to South Africa and has a South African passport with the same date of birth. Do you think he will have made himself older or younger? We are trying to find out his brothers name, he is believed to have been born or living in Fulham at some point.

[Frodo]

Is this information you already have or did you send for the Merchant Navy records? I already had some of my father's paperwork but did get extra information from the records I purchased. The Maritime Museum might be able to help or for more information on the ships Lloyds Register. He may well have lied about his age if he was desperate to join for some reason.

[billy_leyland]

This is from the actual records which we went to Kew Gardens to research.

[Frodo]

Perhaps it's worth contacting the Registry of Shipping and Seamen to see what evidence they would have used to arrive at the date - I presume they have a standard format of birth certificate evidence or similar unless they just used information sent by the applicants without checking. I think they are based in Cardiff and there's information on www.mun.ca>mha>research>principal records.