WWI Navy Files

Hi guys,
I`m just curious if anyone knows how to go about researching WWI Naval personnel. I had a look at the LAC WWI database but didnt see any navy files for the name I was searching and it got me wondering if they were not in the online database.

Any help is much appreciated.

sorry for the delay buddy. Canadian Navy stuff is in the following link....

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This link is tto the previos page that may help to direct you.

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Hey buddy,
Thanks for the link, I had a feeling I should have looked again lol.
There's three possibilities in there, unfortunately there is no information other than reference number so I'll have to do a little bit more research before requesting a file.
I have contacted the Naval museum in Esquimalt, hopefully they can help me out.

Hi Jeff. It might help if you were to post your questions here. Unfortunatley the museum at Esquimalt does not hold any personnel records.

I have been a navy collector for better tun 40 years and may be able to assist.

Ed

Hi Ed,
Thanks for the offer of help. Indeed they do not have files as I have found out lol.

I have what I believe is a WWI Navy cap with the name C Gill inside. The cap tally is to the HMCS Rainbow, a ship purchased from the Royal Navy in 1910. It appears that some of the Royal Navy seamen stayed in service with the Rainbow during the early years.

As the tally has been retied, I thought if I could find C Gill on a personel list for the Rainbow it would help prove originality. I also was hoping to find his service file.

There was also the HMCS Rainbow submarine, I don't know at this point if the tally is of the original Rainbow or the submarine. The cap I believe to be WWI as it does not conform to the examples of WWII and post WWII that I have handled. It appears shorter and only has one vent rivet and the liner is all one piece in a black fabric.

I found a Charles Gill on LAC but would have to order his file to see if he is the right guy, but his occupation is listed as labourer and there is no rank listed. Could he be a civilian?

The cap should arrive this week and I will post pics when it gets here and I get it cleaned up. Its got quite a bit of mothing and pet hair all over it.

Jeff I looked up the name Gill on my WW1 navy roll and find one man named Carl Allan Kostner GILL who could possibly be your guy. I did not find the one you mention. Unfortunately there is no number recorded for him. It is possible he was a Brit but I have no evidence to back this assumption.

My roll is pretty good but like all rolls one cannot assert it is infallible.

I found a C.R. Gill serving at the time submarine Rainbow was in service.

A photo of the tally might help shed some light on its vintage.

Sorry I don't have more info for you.

Ed

Hi Ed,
That's more info than I had before! The Gill who served during the submarine Rainbow is interesting. The sellers photos were poor but it looked like the tally was stencilled. I read that the original submarine Rainbow rally's were indeed stencilled. Perhaps I've got the age of the cap wrong or the two are a mismatched set.
I took a chance on this set cause it was cheap. I will post photos when it gets here.

Out of curiosity, how does one get a WWI navy roll?

"Out of curiosity, how does one get a WWI navy roll?"

Well if you collect for 40+ years and are a packrat......   

Ed

Not sure where my post went but I will post again. I too have looked for any files for my grandfather who served in the Royal Navy in WW1. The British files just seem to take you in circles and never find what you are looking for. Anyone have any luck? Thought I found the right place once but after writing they said it was not. Many records were lost during WW2 so they may not exist. He told me when I was around 9 (60 now) that he was torpedoed and sunk in the Black or North sea, could not remember but seems likely the North. Even then I was collecting and he told me he had a seabag full of souvenirs but they went to the bottom. Maybe some just stories to tell the kids but he was sunk. It would be nice to know what ships he served on. My Uncle told me he was a sharpshooter to blow up mines. Cheers Brian

Brian British record access is difficult at best but for WW1 era you should not have too much difficulty.

I would start here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
You can also check on Ancestry and Find My Past as both sites hold WW1 records.

Ed

Nothing there. Looked in the Naval reserves also but maybe not all listed together? Maybe because he was in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve. I sent an inquiry so maybe they can find something or point in the right direction. Cheers Brian

If he was a Newfoundlander in the RNR you may want to look in the book Under The White Ensign. This book details all the men from Newfoundland who served in the WW1 RNR.

If I recall correctly it was authored by a fellow named Wells.

Ed

PS I have this book in my library and can check for you if you can't access the book yourself.

Thanks Ed. I too have this book as well as part2. Will have to look through again but I don't think it will tell me what ships he served on. Cheers Brian

Records for Newfoundland naval reserve are held in St. Johns at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] They are currently searching records for my grandfather. Cheers Brian

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  Got the records I was looking for. The Briton was a training ship but not sure if the Attentive 11  and 111 are the same ship? Hard to read but he served on the attentive 111 (marmion11) from 3 dec 1917 to 31 march 1919 then Attentive 11 (all in newbury) from 1 apr.1919 to 11 apr. 1919.  Not sure about the names in brackets. Any info appreciated. Cheers Brian