Commodore James Craig

[Beverley Kitching]

Hello! I am searching for information about my great uncle, Commodore James Craig. He was an engineer and family history says he took the first diesel powered ship down the Clyde. He died in Sunderland in 1940. His father John James Craig was also a ship's engineer and two of his brothers, Andrew and Albert also became engineers. The family was based originally in Bishopwearmouth. I now live in Australia so visits to Tyneside are few and far between and the internet is my primary research tool. regards, Bev.

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Beverley
Welcome to the site,sorry for the late posting but have been tied up in other matters!
Anyway hope ypou may soon get some good replies !
I just cane across this and am wondering if it may be the person in question!
See Number Sic listing at the following Link!
This of course may not be of much help anyway!
Cheers

http://www.cwgc.org/search/SearchRes....x=43&send.y=9

Name: CRAIG, JAMES ALEXANDER
Initials: J A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Third Engineer Officer
Regiment/Service: Merchant Navy
Unit Text: S.S. Dalblair (Newcastle-on-Tyne)
Age: 43
Date of Death: 28/08/1940
Additional information: Husband of Alice Ann Craig, of Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 34.
Memorial: TOWER HILL MEMORIAL

[Ray Buck]

Bev
There is a record in Sunderland of a James Craig’s death age 66 registered in the March quarter of 1940 in volume 10a page 1334,
Ray

[happy daze john in oz]

G'day Beverley, like you living in Oz I also find it hard to get information. All my family came from the Sunderland Monkwearmouth area and when tracing the family tree I came across the Sunderland historical establishment somewhere in Sunderland town hall. The gentleman at the time was a Stan Mapstone but it was a few years back.The e-mail address was
se@kentmere.fsnet.co.uk
He was very helpful and knew just where to find the info I needed.
Justa thought but maybe there is something there that may be of help to you.
Good luck.

[Beverley Kitching]

Hi John!

Thanks for the info. I'll give it a go. I joined the Durham and Northumberland Family History Society and got some information on my Great Grandfather, John James Craig, but so far nothing on his eldest son, James.

I hunted out a photo of him in his uniform, rather fuzzy and in sepia and scanned it into the computer and got it as clear as possible and it looks like he was a chief engineer. I emailed a copy to Ray Buck and he agreed but the cap badge is too indistinct to make out the shipping line.

I often wish I had developed this interest earlier before my father died - there are so many questions I would like to have asked him!

Regards,

Bev.

[Beverley Kitching]

Thanks to Ray Buck we may have found Great Uncle Jim as chief engineer on the River Araxes in 1921-22 leaving Gibralter and arriving in New York.