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Passenger Lists Now Available


Published on 22 Jun 2011 16:27 : passenger lists : 1 comment : 13354 views

From today members can now view passenger lists which include those who departed British ports for long-distance voyages across the world from 1890 to 1960.

The passenger records cover the period of mass migration to Australia between 1947 and 1960 when an estimated 710,000 people travelled there. This 'golden age' of migration to Australia was prompted by the launch of a Government funded scheme offering a dream life in Australia for a bargain fare of just ten pounds, provoking some Australians to dub them 'Ten Pound Poms'.

The scheme proved popular and many families took advantage of the opportunity by travelling to Australia for the mere ten pounds, the only catch, they were required to stay for a minimum of two years. Many families who travelled out to Australia are still there now, for example the current Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, was originally from Barry in Wales until her family left on the 'Ten Pound Poms' scheme when she was just five years old.

In the passenger records we have discovered a Carole Jones who left England with her family on 20th April 1955. From the records we can see that she left with her father, a builder contractor, her mother and three siblings. We also learn the name of the ship, 's.s. New Australia', where the passengers embarked and where they docked. In this case the Jones family left from Southampton and travelled to Sydney. In later life Carole Jones married Ronald Minogue together they settled in Melbourne and had children, Kylie, Brendan and Danni Minogue. You can find the original passenger record below.

Take a look at these interesting statistics...

The Passenger records reveal a high number of retirees also travelled to Australia to spend the rest of their lives in the sun, with 17,385 retirees emigrating from the UK during the 1950s.

140,511 housewives travelled to Australia in the 1950s.

The records also show that there were 58 divorcees and 215 widowers listed who may have journeyed to the country to make a fresh start.

To search the records yourself go to search passenger lists.

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by christine on 10 Jul 2011 21:28 : Report Abuse
Desp searching Mary Teresa Johnson born Birmingham 1945 may have gone abroad possibly Ireland