The Story So Far  

13/12/2000

My interest in my family history has introduced me to some really lovely and generous people. 

I have been sent photocopies of pictures and newspapers of El Paso in 1908 to give some idea of what it was like for my father when he was there.

El Paso Pioneer Plaza 1908

 

Had information regarding the sinking of the ship my half brother Alfred James Coombs died on, The Manistee, even what U-boat did it and the captain's name. 

"Two more ships were sunk in Hessler's first patrol, the third was the ss "Maplecourt" on the 6th and the fourth, another Ocean Boarding Vessel, the "Manistee" sunk on 24th February."

Thanks Geralt

My half brother Alfred James

He died on the Manistee in 1941 when I was year old

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
E-mailing a picture of my uncle Alf in navy uniform to the Imperial War Museum in London who identified the uniform as American (see  reply below) confirming that he did desert from the US navy after supposedly collecting some money for signing on. He sailed from America on the SS Cyclops on 15th September 1913 bound for China and Japan. See his potted history page.

 

Imperial War Museum, London

"You are in luck - as this is a simple query you may have a more or less instant response !
The uniform is US Navy - there isn't anything to indicate the category or rating other than the fact that the uniform is that of what the Americans call an `enlisted' man - that is not an officer.
Hope that's some help
Yours sincerely
Diana Condell
Curator, Medals and Uniforms"

My uncle Alf in US navy uniform.

 Eventually fulfilling my dream of going to Vancouver to follow in my dad’s footsteps and meeting up with Dale and Archie Miller who found out so much about his regiment for me and then taking me and my wife Kathy to all the sites where he would have marched and trained before going over to France in 1914. As well as showing us Vancouver Island.

 They even found a park that was named after a relative of my wife. What a surprise.

Right - Kathy and I at Tom Hopkins Ravine Park   New Westminster, B.C. June 2000

 

Left - Tom Hopkins

 My uncle had his picture taken in the hollow tree in Stanley Park, Vancouver sometime before 1913 and so did I in June 2000.

Right: My uncle Alf standing on the right and an unknown man

Left: Me at the same tree 86 years or so later in June 2000

 

Does anybody know who this man is?

Is he the same man with My uncle Alf in the Hollow Tree?

Photographer is Jones & Co.

Esquimalt & Victoria  B.C.

Getting 3 books on the 29th Canadian Infantry photocopied in the magnificent Vancouver Library. They were virtually impossible to find in England. At the back of one of the books was a list of men enlisted . I now regret only copying the page with my father's name on as I could have shared the details with others who have an interest.

Going to Toronto for a family gathering. What a great time with Ken, Nancy, Rubi, Elsie, Bob and Laurel at Nancy and Ken's cottage on the lake. It was wonderful.

Met up with a 3rd cousin once removed, Roy Coombs, who was in the same school as me but 2 years behind and lived just across Blackheath to me and I knew nothing of him. I met him through the Compuserve Roots forum.

I would dearly like to meet up with the Thomas Coombs descendants in Australia. If anybody knows of any Coombs and Welch families from the Adelaide area please let me know. 

Thanks to Dawn Curley of Glencurry, Queensland, Australia for finding the marriage details of my cousin Kenneth James Coombs, Thomas' son, who married Patricia June Farquhar at Manley in 1941.

The Australian Navy is by far the most efficient in replying to requests for service records. 15 days from applying  for Kenneth's service record on their web page to it dropping on my doormat in England is marvelous.

 

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