Find Ancestors

Any advice on how to find information about our relative would be gratefully received. We have very little to go on, A birth certificate for his son states his name was Arthur Thompson and he was a sailor. His son was born in 1935 and he was told his Mother was supposed to marry his father but he had been sent to India and died, His father never saw him and his Grandparents brought him up as their own.
He was told his fathers ship was in Whitehaven Cumbria, but he had left before his birth to his unmarried Mum.
He knew nothing of his father until he was an adult, then he discovered his sister was actually his Mum and his father had died before ever seeing him, However, he carries his fathers surname Thompson . He was registered as a Thompson and christened Thompson. His mum was Harriet Bell.

without knowing his birth year it is very difficuly
only one found so far

Arthur
Last name Thompson
Birth year 1897
Death date 07 Dec 1941
Death year 1941
Age 44
Burial date 08 Dec 1941
Place Sewree
Presidency Bombay
Archive
The British Library
Archive Reference N-3-166

chief steward on the city of melbourne

So if the son was born in 1935 and the father died before he was born it should be around 1935 then?


How old was his mum when he was born .maybe the father Arthur was around the same age

?

A E
Last name Thompson
Birth year -
Death year 1935
Death date Apr 1935
Place -
Country Great Britain
Reported date 1935
Type At Sea
Departure port -
War -
Source Deaths At Sea 1891 – 1972
Archive reference BT 334
Box 0091
Archive
The National Archives
Record set British Armed Forces And Overseas Deaths And Burials
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Civil Deaths & Burials
Collections from Great Britain, UK None

Barbara doesn't say that Arthur died before his son was born - just that he never saw him.

So his ship sailed before the son was born, but Arthur probably died later.


Barbara, you say he was "sent" to India - does that perhaps mean he was in the Royal Navy rather than the Merchant Navy?

As the parents of the child had not married would it be possible for the child's mother to give the father's name and occupation on the birth registration?

Yes.

Harriet could have said she was married - or not! No proof would have been required.

https://tinyurl.com/yy2pd2wa

"If only the mother has parental responsibilities and rights towards the child then only she has the right to choose the child’s names. She can call the child whatever she wishes. This means that in an opposite sex couple, the mother can give the child the father’s surname if she chooses even if they are not married. Choosing the father's name for the child is not the same as registering him as the father of the child."

It is strange that the child was given the surname Thompson and was brought up within a family with a different surname (BELL ? ) believing his mother was his sister.

I read it that the father was sent to India and died and that was why he never met his son

The death in India in 1941 found by Maddie was for a man from Wallasey in Cheshire. He died in Bombay and probate was in Llandudno to Jessie Jane Thompson, widow.
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=thompson&yearOfDeath=1942&page=2#calendar

Thank you everyone for looking at this for me. The fathers name appears on his birth certificate and "sailor". I wish I had more to go on, but so far I have been unable to glean anymore information.
Harriet chose to use his name, I wish I could find his story so that he took his place in our family history.