The picture left and following information has been supplied by kind permission of John Steer and the photograph shows Captain William Grant Branthwaite on the bridge of PS Royal Eagle.
Captain William Grant Branthwaite
The picture left and following information has been supplied by kind permission of John Steer and the photograph shows Captain William Grant Branthwaite on the bridge of PS Royal Eagle.
The Frinton & Walton Heritage Trust is restoring to sea going condition the world's oldest surviving motor lifeboat James Stevens no. 14.
Click on this link to read all about the James-Stevens-No14
View the Paddle Steamer Picture Gallery and the PS Royal Eagle.
John Steer is trying to trace any descendants of Captain William Grant Branthwaite born Whitehaven Cumberland 1877. The James-Stevens Lifeboat No14 was involved in the rescue of the SS Pergerine on December 29th, 1917 of which Bill Branthwaite was Captain.
His master's certificate number was 033406 dated 1903 he is not in the 1901 census so he was almost certainly at sea.
His wife was Margaret Alice Lee born Shrewsbury 1872? and the couple's marriage was registered in the September quarter of 1899 in the registration district of Kingston. Their son William Henry was born 1900 and was 9 months old at the time of the census when they were living in South Wimbledon.
Capt Branthwaite was employed by the General Steam Navigation Company for all of his sea going career and his son William Henry was granted his master's certificate in 1923 number 0012143 and also worked for the General Steam Navigation Company sometimes on the same ship as his father.
The father's last recorded voyage is dec 1939 his son's 1946 and only one Branthwaite a soldier is listed as killed in ww2 so he was not a war casualty.
Between the wars Branthwaite senior was the commodore of the line serving as master on the Royal Eagle a passenger vessel plying the Thames he was very well known and apparently quite a character so it is strange that no trace of him can be found.
In 1919 his address was given by the RNLI as 220 Merton Road Wimbledon the house still exists it is a large terraced house.
Any information on Captain William Branthwaite or his descendants would be much appreciated. Any info as to their approx dates of death and where they might have been living would be helpful.
