File talk:Migration Ship(GN00326).jpg

Identification (completed)

The archways under and to the left of the gangplank seem pretty distinctive -- they can be seen on File:SS Geelong HQ.png which is the Geelong. All the other details from that photo also seems to match. I'm not sure there were any sister ships, but the only three ships from the building yard which went to the Blue Anchor Line (and later the P&O Branch Service) were the Geelong, the Waratah (which is definitely not this ship), and the Commonwealth. That latter ship does have similar archways, but does not seem to have a lifeboat forward of them, which is in this photo, so it would seem to be the Geelong. The ship in back matches other photos of the 1899 Wilcannia quite closely, so presumably the identification was of that ship. Carl Lindberg (talk) 00:13, 5 April 2020 (UTC)

Arrival of Immigrants, the ship is the Commonwealth (GN13662).jpg

Arrival of Immigrants, the ship is the Commonwealth (GN13661)

@Clindberg: Thank you very much for your comments. However, please note also these photos and their captions. --NearEMPTiness (talk) 03:36, 5 April 2020 (UTC)

@NearEMPTiness: I would have to agree those are the same ship. To the point that I think File:SS Geelong HQ.png is also the Commonwealth. I used that image primarily, but looking at other photos of the Geelong on the net, and even File:SS Geelong FL1649017.jpg, there are two large posts in front of the bridge that are not in these other photos. And in fact I now run across a copy of this photo here, which states that they are passengers boarding the Commonwealth in London. So yes, this is the Commonwealth then. Carl Lindberg (talk) 06:32, 5 April 2020 (UTC)

Thanks for completing the identification. --NearEMPTiness (talk) 08:14, 5 April 2020 (UTC)

What about the date, were people emigrating in 1915? One man appears to missing an arm, not that might mean anything. Almost all the travellers are men, at least in this photo, might it be 1913, taking in the horse drawn taxi? Broichmore (talk) 10:04, 12 April 2020 (UTC)

I would have to think this was before the war. The Commonwealth was apparently an Australian troop transport (A 73) from 1915-1917, per www.clydeships.co.uk, and the funnel marks were changed for those. So this would have to be before that. I could believe it was after the ship had been sold to P&O in 1910 though. Some of the earlier photos do not have that white stripe along the side, though no real idea about when that was put on. Carl Lindberg (talk) 00:38, 17 April 2020 (UTC)