Did my grandfather die in the Second World War?

QMy grandfather James Valentine Easson (born 1885, Southampton) was still alive when I was born in 1942, but is believed to have died during the Second World War. I’ve read his entry in the 1939 Register (pictured). Can you explain the numbers above James’ name, and clarify the ship’s name?

Terence Patrick Cox

AThis ship’s name begins Duchess of…, but the rest is hidden by sticky tape. You can check every British ship registered after 1855 on the Crew List Index Project website at crewlist.org.uk/data/ vesselsalpha, searching by name or partial name, but many begin Duchess of… unfortunately.

The note reveals that he was discharged (“Dis”) from this ship on “29.9.39”, ie 29 September 1939. The other number is his Merchant Navy employment number; it looks like it begins “9045…”. It was unique to him, so can confirm his identity when cited in other official sources.

In 1939, Merchant Navy crew were usually employed for one voyage at a time. So James would have had to keep looking for new ships to work on each time he returned home.

James isn’t on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database at www.cwgc.org, which identifies Merchant Navy employees who died in action during the Second World War. This suggests that if he died in 1942, it was from causes not related to the war, and yet there’s no death certificate for him on FreeBMD ( freebmd.org.uk)

between 1939 and 1945. He isn’t listed as dying at sea according to the index of maritime deaths on findmypast.co.uk, and on thegenealogist.co.uk

there is no overseas death recorded either.

Your best hope is to visit The National Archives in Kew, and see if his wartime employment records from the Merchant Navy central register have survived (series BT382). He should be in folder BT382/526, but could also be in BT382/2308. If this isn’t successful, search local newspapers for an obituary, funeral or memorial service.

Simon Wills