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 Coastguard Clergy
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| jwebb24 |
Posted on 08/05/2009 15:53
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 New Member  Posts: 8 Joined: 08/05/2009 |
Hi there. I'm new to posting on this site but so glad that your site exists - it is a real "mine of information"! I have a query regarding my great grandfather, William Stirling Whelan who died before 1911. I do not know his date of birth but his wife was born in 1873 which gives some indication of his age. I have been told that he was a Coastguard and also a Pardre or Chaplain and that he died at sea. The family story is that his wife went down to meet him off of his ship when he was due to come ashore to be greeted with the sight of a black flag adorning the ship. She did not realise it at the time but the black flag denoted the death of her husband. They had a son (my grandfather) who lived most of his life in Dublin but was born in Donegal in 1890. The above information is all that I know - other than he was married to a Frances Webb from Tipperary but I would like to know more about his job. I have not found it easy to find any records for him nor for anything to do with Coastguard Clergy. Can anyone out there tell me anymore please? Many thanks - Jan Webb |
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| jwebb24 |
Posted on 08/05/2009 17:05
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 08/05/2009 |
Sorry - me again. Just wanted to add two other points. I had forgotten but the name of a place, I think in Cork, has been mentioned in the family before called 'Passage West' but I am unclear if this is connected to this particular relation or not. Also, I did some further research since my original post and I am getting the impression that it may not have been a literal 'black flag' but that flags were sometimes flown at half mast (i.e. not so ship-shape as usual, expressing grief) to denote mourning and that there might have been some connection between the type of flag used and the rank of the deceased. - Jan |
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| Tony |
Posted on 08/05/2009 20:00
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 Administrator  Posts: 136 Joined: 28/04/2007 |
Jan, I do have some information about a Thomas Stirling Whelan that may help you. Death of Thomas Stirling Whelan 12 June 1890. Coastguard aged 32 years. at Bunagee. Culdaff parish. Co.Donegal. Baptismal Records; Henry John of Thomas Stirling Whelan and Frances Anne. Baptised 7 November 1886. Born 17 September 1886. Father Coastguard. at Bunagee. Culdaff Parish. Co.Donegal. Anne Jane of Thomas Stirling Whelan and Frances Anne. Bapt. 10 March 1889. Born 25 November 1888. Father Coastguard. at Bunagee. Culdaff Parish. Co.Donegal. Thomas William of Thomas Stirling Whelan and Frances Anne. Bapt. 15 June 1890. Born 23 November 1889. Father Coastguard. at Bunnagee. Culdaff Parish. Co.Donegal. This family has a certain resemblence to the one you describe. The river Lee passes through Cork city and on past Passage West near near Cobh (once called Cove) a major deep water harbour for the British Fleet. Tony Daly |
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| jwebb24 |
Posted on 08/05/2009 20:35
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 08/05/2009 |
Tony - This is very, very interesting and is looking quite likely. I don't know where you found this information for me from but I am most grateful. Many thanks. - Jan |
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| crimea1854 |
Posted on 08/05/2009 22:22
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 Administrator Posts: 906 Joined: 09/07/2007 |
Jan From Tony's information I did a search of seamens service records at the National Archives, and there was only one Thomas Whelan, born 1858. For £3.50 it might be worth a punt and downloading his record, if this man died in 1890 you could have a match and will have established his place and date of birth. http://www.nation...ultcount=3 Regards Martin |
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| jwebb24 |
Posted on 08/05/2009 22:45
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 08/05/2009 |
Martin - I certainly will do that over the weekend. Thank you for your help. Thanks to Tony's help too, I have since gone away and 'double-checked' and this does indeed appear to be my mother's family. The child mentioned called Thomas is her father and he did have a brother called Harry (the Henry mentioned) as well as a sister called Annie (the Anne mentioned). In addition to this though, which I'll mention here in case anyone viewing this thread is following the same family, there was another daughter called Elizabeth who was born after the father died (the Coastguard Thomas Stirling Whelan to whom we are referring). It may be that her father never even knew she was on the way. I might have found the National Archive record you are now directing me to before but for the fact that I had the name of my great grandfather incorrect - I now know he was not William Thomas but Thomas Stirling - my Mum's brothers were William and Thomas so this may just have been an inspired guess but it led me up the wrong path. I also now realise I have been spelling Culdaff wrong. I knew my grandfather was born in 'Cooldaf" in Donegal but I had the spelling incorrect and I now know that that was the Parish and Bunagee was the place. I am still quite intrigued about what my great grandfather's job (Coastguard Chaplain) entailed and about the story of his death aboard but I am now off to a very good start thanks to this site. I'll let you know if the document you are suggesting I try is correct and throws any more light on the subject, in due couse. - Jan |
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| jwebb24 |
Posted on 29/05/2009 11:02
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 08/05/2009 |
Martin, Tony - Sorry to not have been back in touch as promptly as I would have liked but I have been doing some more research - including Martin's suggestion of buying that service record from the National Archives. It is, of course, quite difficult to decipher - with lots of writing on it and abbreviations left, right and centre! - but does seem to be for the right man (although Thomas's middle name is not given). The service record ends on 10 June 1890 where the term Heart Disease is stated alongside the leters DD (presumably death). His ship came in, or rather didn't, two days later which is when his wife would have gone to meet the ship, unaware that he had died. I would also mention that I was wrong in assuming that Thomas Stirling Whelan had had another child on the way when he died. In fact, the other daughter (Elizabeth) was the second eldest child and was born in Dublin, whilst the other three children were all born in Donegal. This would seem to fit in with what I am learning i.e. that Coastguards did not generally stay in one place for too long so in this case they must have moved, on at least one occasion, from Donegal to Dublin and back again. There is an awful lot of information to decipher, taken in and digest from the service record but, at first glance, I see no mention of him also being a Chaplain which I was told he was. Lastly, if there is anyone out there who is also researching this family, I would be delighted to know of them. Thank you once again, Martin and Tony. - Jan |
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| crimea1854 |
Posted on 29/05/2009 11:57
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Administrator Posts: 906 Joined: 09/07/2007 |
Hi Jan It's good to hear that you are making progress. On the DD, this is short for 'Discharged Dead'. Just out of interest what ship was he apparently serving on when he died? The reason I ask, is at this period the CG establishment was based on District HQ Ships, and while a man was allocated to this Ship for administrative purposes, he still worked on-shore at a land-based CG Station. On the question of him being an official Chaplain, I have to confess to be a little sceptical. However, there is no reason why he could not have been a Lay-preacher. Martin |
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| jwebb24 |
Posted on 29/05/2009 21:03
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 08/05/2009 |
Hey Martin - Have you hit the 200 mark yet on your posts?! Your help is really very much appreciated you know - thank you so much for giving your time. Thanks too for confirming what "DD" stands for. I assume that "Culdaff Bay" which is the last thing written in the 'Ships' column was not a vessel but just the last 'port of call'. So, assuming "Culdaff Bay" was not a ship, the ship listed before that seems to say "Millersie" although I am not at all certain that this is what it says - it could be "Gillespie" or something else - I just find it all so difficult to read. However, I don't know if I am allowed to post a copy of the document here for you. Other ships he served on seem to be:- Vanguard Roy(al?) Adelaide - three times, by the way Revenge Iron Duke - three times Topaze Tanure? Obgeria? I may have read the majority of the ship names above incorrectly but these are my best guesses. I'm afraid I don't know any more about this 'chaplain' rumour but he was described to me as a chaplain or pardre but I suppose he could have been a Lay Preacher. Sorry to pose you another question but at the very beginning of his service record it says 'BIC' - is that just basic training? - Jan |
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| crimea1854 |
Posted on 29/05/2009 22:22
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Administrator Posts: 906 Joined: 09/07/2007 |
Hi Jan This makes my 208 post!! I think the best thing I can do is pm you with my private email address and you send me the record, although sometimes the writing is almost impossible to read, but I will do my best. The BIC sounds as if its one of the rates (ranks) for those under 18 when first joining the navy, and stands for 'Boy 1st Class'. In most instances when a boy reached 18 he was advanced to an 'Ordinary Seaman'. Martin Edited by crimea1854 on 29/05/2009 22:24 |
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| jwebb24 |
Posted on 29/05/2009 22:27
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 08/05/2009 |
Thanks Martin. |
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| lmills |
Posted on 12/10/2009 23:04
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 New Member Posts: 1 Joined: 12/10/2009 |
 Hi,I found it very interesting reading about some of the information you had on the coastgurd station Bunagee, Culdaff.I live in the coastguard station at Bunagee and have been quite frequently try and find information about it on line.. Its not easy come by.. We have some photos of what it used to be like but no information about who worked from here and what they did and where they went. Any info would be really appreciated. |
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| Tony |
Posted on 13/10/2009 11:25
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Administrator Posts: 136 Joined: 28/04/2007 |
Hi, Although I have little information on this station you can find the Co.Donegal 1901 and 1911 Census Returns on our site. We would welcome any photos that you chose to send in. Tony |
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| jwebb24 |
Posted on 05/12/2009 12:45
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 08/05/2009 |
lmills wrote: Hi,I found it very interesting reading about some of the information you had on the coastgurd station Bunagee, Culdaff.I live in the coastguard station at Bunagee and have been quite frequently try and find information about it on line.. Its not easy come by.. We have some photos of what it used to be like but no information about who worked from here and what they did and where they went. Any info would be really appreciated. Yes - if you have any photos of the coastguard station at Bunagee that you wouldn't mind sharing, I would love to see them. - Jan Webb |
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