Old Bid Posted 4 December , 2019 Share Posted 4 December , 2019 Hi, As mercantile marine had no rank or no. is it possible to identify someone by only their name given that they may not be the only one to have a particular name? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 4 December , 2019 Share Posted 4 December , 2019 If they died as a result of enemy action it's generally possible to cross-reference from the CWGC. But otherwise the more other information the better (year of birth, place of birth, any other family). Even CWGC is not always a direct match, however, as I found out today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bid Posted 4 December , 2019 Author Share Posted 4 December , 2019 Hi, That was my point if you have a name find 3 people died ww1 with same name then find 20 more that served and survived with the same name, can you distinguish with no other info or not. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 4 December , 2019 Share Posted 4 December , 2019 Can you give thename, aprox year of birth and where from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawryleslie Posted 5 December , 2019 Share Posted 5 December , 2019 (edited) I traced my Grandfather's MN career through Liverpool, England, Crew Lists on ancestry. This was pre WW1 in 1912 before being called up by RNVR. According to the record I have of his service on Carmania he had a MN official number 120901. He also served on Mauritania but have yet to find his full record for this ship. Edited 5 December , 2019 by Lawryleslie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 5 December , 2019 Share Posted 5 December , 2019 10 hours ago, Old Bid said: Hi, That was my point if you have a name find 3 people died ww1 with same name then find 20 more that served and survived with the same name, can you distinguish with no other info or not. Regards No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Wales Posted 5 December , 2019 Share Posted 5 December , 2019 11 hours ago, Old Bid said: Hi, That was my point if you have a name find 3 people died ww1 with same name then find 20 more that served and survived with the same name, can you distinguish with no other info or not. Regards The Mercantile Marine did have identification numbers and rating (eg master, engineer,etc) this information could be found on the form CR10 along with photograph, address of next of kin and ships sailed on. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3386 However if you have absolutely nothing but the name about the only way to get anywhere is by going through the CR10s and trying to eliminate those that don't fit with the source where you first came across the name. If there literally are 23 possibles then that could be quite a painstaking process. But there must be something somewhere , a family or a place, which gave you the name in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 5 December , 2019 Share Posted 5 December , 2019 I think some CR10's include photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bid Posted 6 December , 2019 Author Share Posted 6 December , 2019 Hi, All I have is a name Robert Johnson on a BWM. I am presuming as nothing else on it he was a mercantile recipient. I know a long shot at identifying exactly which Johnson, just thought I would ask. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 11 December , 2019 Share Posted 11 December , 2019 Can you post a pic of the rim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bid Posted 17 December , 2019 Author Share Posted 17 December , 2019 Hi, This any help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 17 December , 2019 Share Posted 17 December , 2019 (edited) Any idea where he might have been from? There are loads of Medal index cards in the name Robert Johnson Mercantile Marine.If you have the medal, does it look like the rim has been filed down? The spacing in the name Robert is odd. Edited 17 December , 2019 by johnboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 17 December , 2019 Share Posted 17 December , 2019 (edited) On 05/12/2019 at 07:41, Lawryleslie said: I traced my Grandfather's MN career through Liverpool, England, Crew Lists on ancestry. This was pre WW1 in 1912 before being called up by RNVR. According to the record I have of his service on Carmania he had a MN official number 120901. He also served on Mauritania but have yet to find his full record for this ship. To be clear,120901 is the Ship's Official Number for Carmania. Mauretania's ON is 124093. There may be some crew lists at Kew under a BT (Board of Trade) reference for this period. Edited 17 December , 2019 by sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bid Posted 17 December , 2019 Author Share Posted 17 December , 2019 No idea where he came from just a random medal. Rim looks fine, take your point about spacing but others I have seen are not perfectly spaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 17 December , 2019 Share Posted 17 December , 2019 I don't think I can try and help anymore, sorry. Where did you get the medal from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bid Posted 18 December , 2019 Author Share Posted 18 December , 2019 Hi, On closer inspection and in better light, I think you are right it has been altered. I got it on ebay as a punt for 12 quid so not expensive listed as below. rank. missing reg. missing Name Robert Johnson It came with a card saying it was a casualty medal BUT that was not shown in listing. I think now the person selling must have paid more or it and was getting rid as it has been changed. Thought it was an odd way to list a medal. Many thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 18 December , 2019 Share Posted 18 December , 2019 Guessing at who he was would not prove anything. Altered or not. it has been saved from the rubbish. Could have been worse if you thought it may have been to a relative, One for the back of the drawer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bid Posted 18 December , 2019 Author Share Posted 18 December , 2019 Still got the silver value so all not lost although I shall keep it as an example to compare against others. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 18 December , 2019 Share Posted 18 December , 2019 OB If your man got a BWM and he served in the MN in WW1 he would also have got a Mercantile Marine Medal. I see that there are 19 sailors with just the name on your medal rim, there are a fair few others with a second Christian name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 18 December , 2019 Share Posted 18 December , 2019 Without knowing year of birth or where from it would be guesswork again which would not help OP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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