I have a copy of my grand father's birth certificate in front of me.[/size]The birth was registered in PRESTWICH.[/size]His full name was JOHN WILLIAM TOMLINSON.[/size]DOB - 13th March 1913 @ 5 Tavistock Street, Harpurhey.[/size]FATHER - WILLIAM JOHN TOMLINSON.[/size]FATHER'S OCCUPATION - MARKET PORTER.[/size]MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME - MARY ANN GRIFFITHS.[/size]The census record of 1911 shows that my grand father's future family were living at 248 Harrowby Street, Harpurhey. The household consisted of:JOHN WILLIAM TOMLINSON HEAD BORN 1887 OCC - FRUIT MARKET PORTER.[/size]MARY ANN TOMLINSON WIFE BORN 1888.[/size]CAROLINE TOMLINSON DAUGHTER BORN 1907.[/size]MAY TOMLINSON DAUGHTER BORN 1909.[/size]MATTHEW TOMLINSON SON BORN 1911.[/size]MAY TOMLINSON died in a house fire in 1916 and the 3 remaining siblings were placed in the care of relatives by the courts. I was told this by my mother's cousin but have no official reports. It may have been in the newspapers at the time.Anyhow, my grand father joined the Merchant Navy and left Manchester. I think he used to say he was about 14 when this happened so this would have been around 1927. He used to tell me that he'd worked on the whaling boats in South Georgia. He also told me that he was part of the Russian Convoys during WWII.He ended up in Barry in South Wales where I was eventually born. Barry was a very large coal dock , exporting coal from the South Wales Valleys and was a fair old rival for the nearby Cardiff Docks. My grandfather married DOROTHY MAY CLEMETT on 20th March 1936 in BARRY. His occupation at this time was a "Marine Fireman Merchant Service". He was 23 years old. His father was still a Fruit Salesman, undoubtedly still in Manchester.I'm interested in "padding out " any of this basic information in any way you can suggest / guide me.I 'm particularly interested in photographs and maps but anything at all would be of huge interest to me.I have lots of other census records and certificates but didn't want to bog you down!! At the moment, I'm trying to focus on my grand father who we all knew as "Jumping Jack". I'm not sure if that's a nick name we gave him or if he brought it with him from Manchester. [/size]