Stokers, Firemen and Trimmers

[Brian Meister]

Dear Ms Barrett,

Thank you for posting you query to the
board! I gave researched the crew of the
Titanic extensively and can tell you that
finding this man is quite a challenge. The
name Frederick Barrett is quite common.
Also, if you are utilizing the list here
on ET for your source, know that the survivor
Frederick Barrett has been confused with a
Frederick William Barrett, who was lost in the
sinking, and was from Hampshire, not Liverpool.
The Leading Fireman has had no middle name
ascibed to him in any other source that I have
seen since commencement of my search.
Having said that, I am also aware that
his middle name may very well have been
William, but that there is just no documen-
tation of it.
Please E-Mail me privately, as I might
have a couple of clues for you.

Regards,

Brian Meister

 

[Robert Thompson]

Regarding the wages paid to the crew. I don't know what rate the Fireman were on but I doubt it would be anywhere nere £14. I know for a fact that My Great Uncle Willaim Mackie was paid £11 10 Schillings a month. This for a highly educated and trained professioal. I can't imagine Firemen, Stokers and Trimmers earning any where nere this amount.

Thanks
Robert

 

[robert burns]

My father the late Samuel Jackson Burns said that two of our ancestors went down with the Titanic. Percy Cornelius Taylor, was a cellist in the orchestra and John Taylor was a stoker. Is anybody else researching these names, if there are I would like to hear from them. Regards Bob Burns.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

The ET bio on Percy Taylor can be found at https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/bio/p/2nd/taylor_pc.shtml

John Taylor's bio can be found at https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/bio/c/e/taylor_j.shtml

I'm afraid we don't have very much on either.

Cordially,
Michael H. Standart

 

[Barbara J. Davies]

Just browsing, as I'm a new 'girl' on the ship!
Found this thread on Frederick Barrett interesting, I wonder if Jane found out if she was related. Realise this enquiry was a few years ago, but any further info would be helpful.
Mr Barrett was in the same Boiler Room as Mr Shepherd who is my relative.
Thanks
Barbara

 

[monica e. hall]

Hello, Barbara, and welcome to ET.
If you go to the main Crew section on the Message Board, you may find some interesting information. In what way are you related to Mr. Shepherd? They all seem to have tried to look after each other as best they could, don't they?

 

[Barbara J. Davies]

Hi Monica, Thanks for your reply, will follow that through next. Jonathan Shepherd was my Gt Uncle, my (maternal) Grandfathers brother. I haven't checked the story recently but believe they almost risked their lives to help him. I think that is very brave, and it must have been difficult to leave him. I find the whole episode moving.
Back to browsing..... Thanks again
Barbara

 

[michelle rowlett]

Hi all as mentioned in another thread im going along to a meeting in my hometown of Coventry to the newly founded Titanic trust fund set up by Howard Nelson. Im extremely excited as i know Mr Richard Allen who also lives in Coventry and who's grandad Ernest Allen survived the sinking of the Titanic is a member and will be there. Ernest was age 24 and was a stoker in the boiler room , he lost his younger brother Frederick that night who didn't manage to escape. I have never spoken to or been intouch with anyone associated with or related to a Titanic survivor, so im very keen to go along , it should be an interesting evening.

 

[Janet Hall]

Hi all.
I am attempting to find info on my G/Grandfather George Coombes/Combes died on the Titanic as his brother also perished, Augustus Charles Coombes/Combes . They both resided at Southampton Hampshire. Both Married. My Grandmother spoke highly of her father George.

Any info is greatly appreciated.
Janet

 

[Bob Godfrey]

Hallo, Janet, and welcome. Fireman George Combes was actually one of those who survived and eventually returned to England. You'll find some information about him (not much, I'm afraid) in the biography section of this website. Augustus Charles Coombs (note different spelling) was an assistant cook, and he didn't survive the sinking. Again, there is some information in the biography section but it's very basic.

 

[Janet Hall]

Hi there, Bob
I wish to drop a line to say thanks so much for the info re: g/g/father Coombes. With your help and guidance I will soldier on.
Cheers from OZ.
Janet

 

[Gwynne]

I have just found this site, rather belatedly, whilst trying to find the difference between trimmers & firemen. My maternal grandfather had a fireman on the RMS Adriatic, according to the 1911 census. A family story has it that he turned up to board a ship for duty in Southampton but was turned away. The ship was the Titanic.
My brother worked for Cunard as a deck officer and found that my mother had her father's seaman's discharge (unfortunately now lost). He says he saw an entry for the Titanic in his discharge book. Anybody have any idea how this might have been?
My grandfather's name was Thomas David Gwynne and he was from Liverpool.

 

[Steven Christian]

I have just found this site, rather belatedly, whilst trying to find the difference between trimmers & firemen. My maternal grandfather had a fireman on the RMS Adriatic, according to the 1911 census. A family story has it that he turned up to board a ship for duty in Southampton but was turned away. The ship was the Titanic.
My brother worked for Cunard as a deck officer and found that my mother had her father's seaman's discharge (unfortunately now lost). He says he saw an entry for the Titanic in his discharge book. Anybody have any idea how this might have been?
My grandfather's name was Thomas David Gwynne and he was from Liverpool.

Could have been part of the crew that took her from Belfast to Southampton but he signed off when he got there for various reasons. Other crewmen left the ship in Southampton so it's possible. Someone here probably has a crew list of the short trip from Belfast if one exists. Cheers.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

My grandfather's name was Thomas David Gwynne and he was from Liverpool.

Sorry to say but I can not find that name on any list neither for the delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton nor among the discharged crew.
Maybe he had a different name?

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Sorry to say but I can not find that name on any list neither for the delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton nor among the discharged crew.
Maybe he had a different name?

There was a trimmer named Thomas GIBSON who was on the delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton and disembarked afterwards. He was from Belfast might could have moved to Liverpool later.

The only 'Gwynne' I could find was the American mail clerk William Logan Gwynne. (Gwynne was really his family name but he shortened it to Gwinn later). Of course, he went on the voyage and died in the sinking.