Pilots on the China Coast

[q98]

G'day
Is anyone able to advise if there are on-line records relating to individual Pilots on the China Coast circa 1930s. My great-uncle was one such individual for a two-year period during the 1930s and was one of four brothers to hold a Master's ticket.

Jim McCreadie
Fremantle
Western Australia

[Currie]

Hello Jim,

I assume it’s Captain William McCreadie you’re looking for.
http://www.ww2awards.com/person/39001

It would be interesting to know just how the China Coast pilotage system worked, where would one likely be based, whether he would have been employed by government or privately etc. I suppose you would only need a pilot once you got close to the port you were headed for and not for the China coast in general.

Shanghai was a major port. In 1949 the New York Times reported that the Shanghai pilot boat that normally kept vigil off the mouth of the Yangtze had been seized by Nationalist warships. Aboard her were four pilots of British, French, Dutch and Norwegian citizenship.

There is a book called The Log of the Shanghai Pilot Service, 1831-1932.
http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en& ... a=N&tab=wp

Just some thoughts but probably not much help.

Alan

[q98]

G'day Alan
We must stop meeting like this Aye, it was my great-uncle Bill, Edward was my granpa (see your 1st hyperlink). I once had an interesting book "Gunboats on the Great River" which told the story of the Insect class gunboats most of which were built at Troon, Ayrshire. I loaned out the book, forgot to whom, and it was never returned

Anyway mate, your thoughts/links may not always help but they certainly make interesting and informative reading. If I locate anything, I'll let you know. Almost forgot, your find of Baron Von Stulpnagel's diary =D> is currently being translated by a native-born German. When it is completed, I'll forward a copy. You know of course his daughter has been in contact although I have heard nothing more from her since her initial contact.

Thanks cobber.

Jim

[Currie]

Hello Jim,

It’s great news that you were able to find someone to translate that stuff. I was trying to work out some Welsh the other day and found that Google has an online translator that works fairly well, at least it gives you a bit of a head start, and is a lot better than the one I mentioned to you before. You won’t need it but I’ll post the link here in case someone else is having similar problems.

Google Translator http://translate.google.com/#

All the best,
Alan