AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND-L Archives

From: Peter & Sandra Beckett <>
Subject: [AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND-L] Re: Ships' Deserters
Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 17:39:13 +1000

According to my List of Holdings (Victorian PRO), there are 9 volumes of
Registers of Discharged Seamen and Deserters and Index 1852-1925 - VRPS
946 but only available at the PRO at Laverton. BUT there is a microfilm
copy of Registers of Discharged Seamen & Deserters 1852-1925 (2 rolls)
VPRS 2144 available at Laverton, Ballarat & City.

I remember looking at this many years ago, as Great Grandfather John
Newman Birkley of Flynn near Rosedale is not in any immigration lists
that I can find, although his bible was noted 'landed Melbourne 7 June
1869'. I could be wrong but don't think it is fully indexed and a full
day's search still hadn't found JNB.

Good luck,
Sandra Beckett.
>
> >The family story is that my great grand father jumped ship in Port Phillip
> >bay near Melbourne and came to live there prior to moving as a selection to
> >Macks Creek near Yarram.
> >
> >I would like to learn more about what happened when people "deserted" ship
> >and what records are kept. How did this effect citizenship (assuming that
> >documents of ID may not been available)? Is there a list of deserters?
> >What were people who jumped ship called?
>
> Heather
> There should indeed be a list of ships deserters. Get in touch with the
> archives in Melb, I think it is in Lonsdale Street now and ask them.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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• [AUS-VIC-GIPPSLAND-L] Re: Ships' Deserters by Peter & Sandra Beckett <>