Hello Michael All is not lost, and you may yet be able to knock down that brick wall! I don't know what there may be in Australian archives, but there are British service records of 20th Century merchant seamen - and that should include those whose only voyage ended up in them jumping ship. I am joint owner of the Mariners website at http://www.mariners-L.freeserve.co.uk (and the Mariners' rootsweb mailing list) and I have written a guide for the website explaining how to access service records for 19th and 20th century seamen. You should be able to find his record card, on which you will see the ships he served on - your only obstacle is that they are generally shown by ship's official number, not their name. All is not lost however as there are lists of ships/official numbers.Give us a hoy on Mariners when you've got that far and someone will identify the ships for you. Debbie Beavis www.passengerlists.co.uk > -----Original Message----- > From: mick [mailto:mick@petrie.hotkey.net.au] > Sent: 07 June 2001 12:36 > To: AUS-IMMIGRATION-SHIPS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Perth W.AUSTRALIA > > > Hi list, > I am new to your list and I am trying to find when my Uncle > and Father > arrived in Australia. > > Family oral history says that my Uncle > JOHN WILLIAM HARLEY Immigrated to Australia around 1920/ 1925 > landing at > Perth Western Australia where he worked for a time as a boat > builder. He > was born in South Shields Co. Durhan UK 24/2/1904 and had > worked in ship > building in South Shields. After some time in Perth he > settled in the North > East of New South Wales around Murwillumbah. > My father was HENRY HARLEY also born in South Shields > UK on 9/1/1906 and > after he received a letter from his brother in Perth signed up on a > merchant ship as a cabin boy and arrived in Newcastle New > South Wales where > he jumper ship around early 1924.(this to me suggests that > his brother John > William was at this stage living on the East Coast) He worked > as a Charlie > Chaplin impersonator for a short time and then departed Newcastle for > Murwillumbah by train to be with his brother. I have searched > the National > Archives lists of crew members of all ships entering > Newcastle from late > 1923 to mid 1924 but due to incomplete records was not able > to find any > trace of when he jumped ship or the name of the ship that he > arrived on. > I am looking for advise /Help in trying to locate when they > both arrived in > Australia and on what ship. > This has been a brick wall to me for some years any help would be most > welcome. > > Michael Harley in Overcast Brisbane Australia. >