Inward/Outward Shipping Records

[Kaysands]

Hi
I need help and some understanding for what I am looking for.

In 1957, my mother sailed on a Swedish Cargo boat, which carried 12 passengers, plus its cargo of Bananas. It was sometime around April/May, I cannot remember the month, only that it was the School holidays, the place, Fremantle, Western Australia. She returned home again, month not remembered, but she was away for 6 months - Sept/ October/November 1957, and I stood at the wharf, waving this woman farewell.

She was born in 1913 in St.Marylebone and my mother and grandparents migrated to Perth, in 1927 on the SS Ormonde. She married, but had siblings/father still living in Buchkingham.

My mother went back to the UK to see her father and siblings in 1957. Now I do not know if she still retained her British Passport or had an Australian Passport.

What I want to know, would the Swedish Cargo boat go to the UK or would it have gone to Europe first. Would she have gone thru English customs? There must be some record of her arriving/leaving and I am at a loss, and have already trawled thru all the new records re Incoming/Outgoing Records for Fremantle, and there is nothing. I have also asked several Australian Government Records for help, and no one wants to be of an assistance. My patience is running at a low, and I do hope that someone out there has information that could help me.

Kind regards

Kaysands

 

[gibbo]

I noticed you are in Perth. Have you been to the WA archives?

 

[davelambert271]

With much help from Gibbo I think we have traced your family. Briefly, we think you were born to parents Vellacott/Spooner who married 1939. Your mother one of four children to George Spooner and Kate Willett who married 1901, but Kate remarried to a James Hendry in 1923 then they emigrated 21/1/1928 with Gladys 14 and brother R. E aged 12
I expect you will have all the relative info and I believe you are trying to trace your mother's passenger lists for her travel to the Uk and back to Aus in 1957. I presume her name would be Vellacott at that time. So far I have not found any record.

In answer to you question about docking. A ship can be registered in a port, but never dock there. I reckon it depends on the cargo carried and it's destination as to which port the ship ends up. Either way it would be subject to custom checks

 

[Kaysands]

Hi Dave

Many thanks for your reply.

My Grandmother was a bigamist, she married a gentleman in 1915, and there is some dispute about my mothers parentage. To be quite frank, my grandmother was not a very nice person, and she married James Hendry before the Divorce became legal, and that is one of the reasons they left UK.

There must be some record of her leaving West Australia and coming back home, and no one wants to know me. I must be asking the "too hard question".

Once again, many thanks for your help, and I suppose I shall keep on plodding away, hoping that I might find the record.

Kind regards,
Kaysands

 

[davelambert271]

Hi
what a web we weave!!

Do you have access to ancestry? there is a tree owner Shane Bathgate. If he is not known to you it may well be a good idea to contact him as he has Gladys married to Josiah and with 2 children. Also one by John Hawkins which has a lot of detail about Gladys. If you don't have access send me your email address by private message and I'll ask them to contact you.


dave

 

[Kaysands]

Hi Dave

Thanks again for your reply.

That gentleman has taken all of my hard work and have used as it his own.
I have now made all of my family trees private. I am tired of doing all the hard slog for years, and people come along and take the credit.

John Hawkins is related to my Mothers sister, and he and I have had a serious discussion about my mother's birth, which he has agreed with me.

See, she went to UK in 1957, to meet her father, which she did, and I do get very tired of other people presuming they know all. She is my mother and she is entitled to some respect by other family members? and I use that with some facetious.

I hope I have not came across to strong, but I have had some people try to take control of my mother's life and dictate to me that this is the way it is and get used to it, but see, Dave, my heritage is the Vikings, and no one tells me what to do any more and I fight back.

Once again thank Dave you have been very nice and hopefully one day, ZI will find what I want. I would dearly love to go to the UK and wander around the places where my mother came from and my fathers family come from Devon, it would be a dram come true, so much history, so many facets of life to look at. One day.

With much kindness

Kay Sandsrule

 

[gibbo]

Kay have you tried ringing or going in person to the Western Australia archives and seeing if they have passenger lists for the time your looking at?
If not it might be worth a try.

 

[davelambert271]

In post 3 I have intimated that Gladys emigrated to Aus 21/1/1928. I presume this is the right family as there is a James Hendry and wife Annie who emigrated in 1927, but they came from Scotland and I do not think they are applicable
HENDRY, James Mr ship LARGS BAY
HENDRY, Annie Milne Mrs ship LARGS BAY
Port of embarkation London
Port of disembarkation Fremantle
Date of arrival 9 June 1927

Are you sure it was 1957 when your mother returned to the uk as I can't see either voyage and was this to see George Spooner and family. Can you confirm what name your mother would be using then.
If sensitive you could reply by private message. Just click on my user name, then select send private message.

 

[Kaysands]

Hi Dave

Yes, I will be going to our Library to check, but I won't be holding my breath.

It was a Swedish Cargo boat which carried 12 passengers, but what I have been told by different Govt. Depts, it was only the passenger ships that are on the Inward/Outward lists, but I shall continue onwards.

Many thanks for your help and all of the others, it is most appreciative.

KaySands.

 

[davelambert271]

whilst looking on the Aus naa
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/ItemsListing.aspx
I found Wilfred Vellacott's army records. some info from them

born - 1/6/1909 Perth
attested 3/3/42 - promoted Cpl 29/5/42 - promoted Sgt 7/8/42 - discharged 18/1/1943
Army No - D380 rank Sgt
Wife - Gladys Willett Spooner
married - 23/6/1939 (copied from mge cert by army)
married - 1934, (hand written on a declaration for separation allowance signed by Wilfred dated 7/3/1942)
child - Carol born 8/3/1939
father - deceased
mother - Harriet Elizabeth
brother - Harold
home address - 71 Dyson Road, Victoria Park, South Perth

so it appears Wilfred and Gladys were separated upon his joining the Army

 

[gibbo]

I've tried checking trove for ships departing with bananas on board in 1957 but nothing come up for that year. Not a lot of papers online for WA for that year regardless what keywords are used.

 

[Kaysands]

Hi Dave

I grew up knowing that Darwin had been bombed during WW2, as my parents were living in Darwin. My Dad worked for the Govt. of Interior. My mother & sister were sent back to Perth as the threat of the Japs were becoming a bit of a problem. Dad stayed. Darwin was bombed, Dad joined the Army the next day, and became a Corporal, then about 2 weeks later became a Sergeant and in charge of 800 men to clean Darwin up. After the bombings, my mother went back up to Darwin. Dad became very ill and was discharged and spent 6 months in hospital. There is a lot more to that story.

My mother was an Opera Singer, Pianist, a mathematical genius, a wonderful cook, gardener extra ordinary, plus many other attributes. You try living with that kind of a parent. My father was a carpenter, and my mother worked as a Kindergarten Teacher in the 1950's and also sang on the local ABC Radio live., and thoroughly enjoyed entertaining her friends.

I knew my parents had been in Darwin, but I did not know about my Dad's history until living in NSW in the 90's as I went there to get married, as my first Husband died in 1980, and my neighbour told me Dad's story, and when I asked Dad, that is when it all came out. My father was visiting us, and when my neighbour saw my Dad, he came to attention and saluted and called him, Sergeant Vellacott. A small world.

My friends think I should write a book about my life as it is not the norm, and I look at them quizzically as I think I lived a normal life.

My Granddad left Queensland in the 1880's, walked and worked his way across to WA. He had enough of Floods and Drought. He helped to build the Cattle stations houses for Kincaid, Railways, bridges. My family, the Vellacotts are all hard working people, and my Dad still worked till he was 88 years old. My mother died of breast cancer on the day I buried my first husband who died on the front lawn on a warm Saturday afternoon of a heart attack. I was left penniless with 2 very small children, but with my heritage, I just got on with it. Also, I went to 38 funerals, all friends who died after I buried my husband and mother in 14 months. It was not a pleasant time, but one must get on with life and having 2 small girls, well, somehow you have to survive, which we did, and though life was tough, to me that was the way it was.

Kay

 

[davelambert271]

As your friends say, you could write a book, an interesting one at that. You have had more sadness than most but I expect you have had great joy also.

It appears that neither Gibbo or myself, or others who have been looking, are going to be able to find the shipping records you are searching for. If you know the year and that she returned after 6 months here, may I ask exactly what is it that you are looking for, from the records

dave

 

[Kaysands]

Hi Dave

Please give Gibbo my thanks please.

The reason why I want the records, well, my sister has most of mother's belongings, and my sister left with a few bits and pieces which she did not want,
so this is my bit of my mother.

Thank you Dave for your help and patience, and I will continue my search, because somewhere there are records, it may take a while or I just might fall over them. I shall go the Library and put in a request and see what occurs.

Once again, thanks

Kay