Summary heading

PP503/1 – Correspondence files [crew lists], annual single number series with ‘W’ prefix 

Function and purpose

The records in this series are a form type record supplied by the ships master giving details of all crew members aboard ships transporting passengers to Australia; including full name, nationality, age, race, capacity in which engaged, date and place of engagement, and miscellaneous remarks. The form was endorsed by customs officials, showing any restrictions which were placed on crew, number of desertions, port arrived from and port departed from. The lists were collected under the authority of the provisions of navigation and immigration acts. 

Physical characteristics

Records in this series comprise standard departmental files containing various documents as listed above. Each crew list file is stamped on the cover with a stamp titled 'Ships Voyages' and lists the following: Nominal Roll, Boarding Report, Crew List (with the inappropriate entries struck through), the appropriate port and date of entry. In addition the name of the ship or flight number of the aircraft is written on the file cover. 

System of arrangement and control

This series is controlled by an annual single number series with a ‘W’ prefix – stands for Western Australia. From 1955 onwards, the agency allocated a block of file numbers to each different function each year under their annual single number record-keeping system. Each functional area received a block for themselves and the numerical range of each block allocation varied each year, however the first group (file numbers from 1 onwards) always comprised crew lists, with nominal rolls next and general correspondence files last. See CRS K47 for more details. 

Relationships with other records

This accession forms part of a large collection of crew lists for passenger ships (crew lists for merchant/cargo ships were controlled separately by the agency) held by the Archives Perth Office for the period 1897 to 1984. For the period 1897 to 1923, crew lists for passenger ships are controlled by CRS K271 and K270, with all crew lists from 1923 to 1980 being controlled by multiple accession series. From 1981 onwards, crew lists have been transferred to Archives custody as part of CRS K47.

These records also relate to a larger body of records that document the movement of people into and out of Western Australia comprising incoming and outgoing passenger lists, nominal rolls and passenger cards. Intellectual relationships have been documented via series links.

Finding aids

Subject to further research. 

Additional information

The following data was keyed from the paper transfer documentation:

Form number:                           CA 17

Creating department:                 Immigration, Western Australia, Registry

Transferring department:           Immigration, Western Australia, Perth, Registry

Date of transfer:                        17/05/1974

Archives file number:                 RWP28/1/102