With his extravagant taste it would not surprise anyone to know that Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen could be descended from wealthy squires. Whilst investigating a family myth of a lost fortune, Laurence confirms that his ancestors had indeed been wealthy landowners.
What Laurence also wanted to explore was the close connection he felt to the sea. His grandfather had been a merchant sea captain and Laurence was keen to find out how far back his seafaring roots went. What he was surprised to discover was his grandfather’s ship was sunk by a German U-boat during the First World War (see the naval report on the right).
Laurence was shocked to learn that his great-great-grandfather, Roger Twist, was also a sea captain at the peak of the age of sail and had falsified his naval records to cover up a desertion!
You would be surprised at how many clues you can find within your own family’s archives - photos, letters and diaries are all good places to start looking to find out what sort of people your ancestors were. You may discover, like Laurence that your family tree is greatly linked to the nation's naval past.
The National Archives has many merchant naval records that you can search.
You can find details of medals issued to merchant seaman during World War Two on our website.
You might find these research guides useful:
Merchant Seamen: Officers' Service Records 1845-1965
Merchant Seamen: Interpreting Voyage Details in the Registers of Officer's Services
