I wonder if anyone here might be able to help me with some odd problems? Any suggestions as to how I may fill the gaps in my father in law’s history would be very welcome. Also, if anyone on here happens to be related to John Patrick Casey or Elizabeth Burt I should love to hear from you!
Some years back, I started a thread about my father in law (“The here again gone again Man”) Dominic Michael Stringer. I have made some progress but thought it worth trying again.
It would seem that he was born 14/4/1922 in Glasgow and was named Dominic Cunningham Casey. His parents were John Patrick Casey and Martha Burt. Although one of 14 children only five survived to adulthood. For the most part, the famiiy lived on Bonhill Street or Hamiltonhill Road. As his mother died when he was about seven, I believe he may have been brought up by his aunt and uncle James Burt and Margaret Curran.
Dominic married Elizabeth Smith in December 1940. His wedding certificate declares him to be a gunner with the Royal Artillery now on war service. Sadly, it would appear that the RA do not have a record of him under that name! I am waiting to see if the MOD can find his records.
We have proved that by February 1942 Dominic was in Singapore and wearing navy whites! We do not know how he got there or what he was doing there. We do know that he was on one of the last boats to successfully escape leaving during the night of 13/14 February. I can trace his movements for around a fortnight but then he disappears.
By December 1942, I can find him in Bridgetown, Barbados. Now he is wearing the uniform of the US Engineering Corps. He spent much of 1943 on board either a tug called Delamar or a ship called Wellandoc. Sadly, he vanished again.
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In May 1944, Dominic is in Montreal, Canada and is now in the British Merchant Navy! Thankfully, I know his whereabouts from then until he died in 1986.