BORN AT SEA

Evening Post, Issue 88, 12 April 1924, Page 16

BORN AT SEA

COMPAEATIVELY ; COMMON . IN ■ .'. . ■■ENGLAND:';-*?*'^. '

Most people' regard it as/ViWarkable .occurrence for a child,, to -'bY borjitjat.-'i&a. . Asa matter of ( fact,!the Censuy^nsvrs!;it to be comparatively common, C'declared "J.A.K:" in the "Dairy Mail.'V .^heri are no fewer than' 5500' persons in/'Eng- . • land, to-day'who were born on "-board- . ship, and of these 3350 are of.British/ nationality. . .' v . •'-:.. > '-- '•■>■ The big seaports, of course, havs'trie' largest-.number< of inhabitants, who were borri'at" s'eaV-Tri"/ London thereft^are 1144 persons: •whose.birthplace was upon-.' the. ocean, expressed in noble terms o'fVlati"-) tude and longtitudeand riot in meander . tails of street and parish. Of these' London inhabitants 270 males and 380 females- are of' British' birthr-that is to sayyitheK children;;i<i:E,"3riti'shSV..parraits,"-' though not* necessarily born on. board . British.'ships-or^within British -waters. - 'All ships carrying passengers to or from a port in the United Kingdom must' keep' a record of .births',at:sea and make a.r&- ---> turn of the'facts to the.Eegistrar-Gener-.al of Shipping. t ■"'; i V ,V;.; ■.;-;• ;.■•.. It is only when a birth occurs on one of the big Atlantic liners that the public ever hear.of it, for:.then !it is made the . occa'sion'of. a'celebration by thepassen- : gers, and a handsome sum'is generally] . subscribed -with which to endow the ... lucky water baby. Children born at sea, j ; "especially the girls, are! often'christened with, nautical names "or the names of . iships. VThis'accounts for.the Anchorias, ,and."ArethusasJ.. ■'for example, that'occasionally. .emerg&:into _prr;m!nerjce ,'out of the common crowds .of Ethels, Mabplij^iha^dith'sl;',;'' ""./'.. '■■■':■""'. ■ \ ■Sext.'tb London in"the huml3er>bf in.habitants born at . sea comes' Liverpool• with 182, Manchester 121, Birmingham 103, Bristol 63, Cardiff,so, and Hull 47.' The county with the smallest number is Rutland, which has,only four; 'and { Chester is the^.qne country town where ' there are none at a 11...; ' • .:. - ...