Naval ties

QMy grandfather, Albert Richard Bousfield, was born in Southgate, North London 6 October 1891. In the 1911 census I have him living in Southend on Sea Essex aged 19 years. I then lose him until he signs up for WW1 in Trentham, Auckland, N.Z.

He joins the NZEF on 4 January 1915, his attestation papers on signing up stating (he declares) that his profession was ‘Steward’, which I have always suspected means that we was on board ship at some point.

I have tried to find lists of Merchant Navy/cruise Line crew members but to no avail. I have been told (I don’t know how accurate this is) that crew members names were not recorded as they were only employed on a ‘One Way Journey’ and on arrival at the destination had to seek another passage/employment home or elsewhere. So, is this correct or are records of crew held, and if so where can I go to search these?

If he were a steward on board a ship, would this term have been applied to only passenger liners or can it be used to describe someone of freighters?

The second photo shows my mother’s sister, my Auntie Joan, was born Joan Elizabeth Rule, on 30 September 1917 in Woolwich, South East London. In 1939 Auntie Joan was working as a ‘telephonist’ at the Palace Hotel, Southend on Sea. When war broke out she joined the Wrens (WRNS) and became a telephonist at HMS Leigh. In the last few months I have discovered that HMS Leigh was the name given by the Admiralty to Southend Pier and immediate area for the whole of WW2.

I have her Navy papers, pin badge and a couple of photos, however, the thing that is puzzling me and has yet to be explained is the name on the ladies’ caps which reads HMS Pembroke, not HMS Leigh. Do you have any idea why this is?

I appreciate that Southend is directly opposite to the Medway entrance which of course leads down to Chatham, could it be that they were ‘controlled’ by a higher authority in Chatham, therefore were under direct instructions of HMS Pembroke?