WWII records of a WWI soldier

[Tinhat47]

I'm not sure if it's ok to put this here, but here goes.

I've been doing some research on a Percy C. C. Stockbridge, who served in the Buffs and the ASC during the Great War. However, I've found some additional information on him, that he won some sort of Merchant Seaman medal during World War II.

I've found him on the Registry of Shipping and Seamen's WWII medal roll at the National Archives, but have no idea what any of the numbers and abbreviations circled mean. And do the dates mean date of birth? Percy is at the very bottom of the list.

http://www.geocities.com/maithu_ruadh/74022y.jpg

[dycer]

Matt

I appreciate your research perspective.

But,from one,who tries to remain objective from WW1.

You have found a Man,who served on land,during WW1,and felt his calling or means of employment,post-War,was to the sea.

Your Man would never have expectd,his Country,to be at War again,and him as as Seaman,use the "skills" he learned in WW1.

George

[Tinhat47]

Thanks to AussieNoel's excellent research, we've agreed that with his ASC service number prefix of "NAC," he worked in one of the Expeditionary Force Canteens. Noel's research also suggested that men who were assigned to the canteens has experience in food preparation or food merchantry (is that a word) before the war. It may well be that Percy was a merchant, which lead to his particular assignment in the ASC. Perhaps he returned to that after the war. Perhaps he worked in a family business, since he appears to have been born Dec. 4, 1900, so he must have joined the war at a very young age.

[Tinhat47]

So I finally gave in and got an international Ancestry account and the information on this man is coming in like crazy. His full name was Percy Charles Cuthbert Stockbridge and he was in fact born Dec. 4, 1900, in London (Dec. 4 is my birthday as well!). Apparently in 1927, he turned to the sea and became a servant on luxury liners, including the Arabic (his first voyage on 12 April 1927), Lapland, the Westernland, Brittanic, Georgic, Aquitania and the Ile de France when it was siezed by the Royal Navy and converted to a troop ship. He finally ended up on the Queen Elizabeth herself in 1945. He went from plateman in 1927 to assistant pantryman to BR steward in 1945.

A 1945 crew manifest lists him (at age 44) as 5'6", 150 lbs., with a scar over his left eye, deformed left thumb and that he is DEAF. I wonder if his eardrums were injured during his time in the Buffs and it was that injury that had him removed from frontline duty and transferred to the ASC.

[nhclark]

Matt,

The man born in 1901 was registered as Charles Percy C. Stockbridge, birth registered March quarter, Hendon registration district. This is clearly the man who became a merchant seaman.

Wow, he must have joined the Army at a very young age to go overseas before the end of the war. Presumably he then reenlisted in the ASC (Navy and Army Canteen Board) at the conclusion of the war, as per one of the men I looked at. We won't be able to see his service record until the "S" surnames come up on ancestry - if the record has survived.

His father was another Charles Stockbridge - in 1901 he was a "private instructor of musketry." In this case there does not seem to have been a "catering" connection.

(edit) ...except that in this case the man went on to (apparently) use his NACB experience to work on the ocean liners in the galley/steward area. (end of edit)

Very interesting indeed. His "seaman's pouch" from The National Archives might be interesting.

Noel

[LarsA]

Unfortunately I could not access the link in your first post. The date on the left is usually the date of birth. the number in the same column his seamans number. The circles and crosses are ribbons issued/medals issued respectively. i guess you hae worked out which wwii medals the abbreviations stand for. In the right hand column is the number of his application for WWII medals.

/Lars

[Tinhat47]

I think I've figured it out, Lars. Looks like Percy was awarded the 1939-45 Medal, the Atlantic Star and the WWII Medal for his service aboard the Ile de France and Queen Mary while running troops and cargo from New York and Nova Scotia to Scotland and England. And his World War I Victory Medal is hanging in a display case on my wall, tempting me to find out more and more about him.

It indeed would be interesting to see what records the National Archives have on him, Noel, possibly even a photo. Blast living in the wrong country!