Summary

Certificate of apprenticeship issued to J Stegelman on 19 May 1904 by the Kaiserliche Harbour, Kiel. Johannes (Jack) Stegelman was born in Germany on 9 November 1884 in Wellingdorf, Kiel. Between 1900 and 1904 he completed a shipwright's apprenticeship and became a carpenter on merchant vessels.

Description of Content

Certificate of apprenticeship issued to J Stegelmann on 19/5/1904 by the Kaiserliche Harbour, Kiel.

Physical Description

Purple card cover with naval emblem embossed. Inside cover is a paper document. White paper with black printed text. Personal details in pen with black inked stamp. All in German. On back of cover is text written in black pen.

Significance

Johannes Stegelman's story is a great example of more unorthodox migration. Jumping ship was a common way to start a new life in Australia, especially for sailors on merchant ships, and dates back to the 1850s gold rush with sailors jumping ship to head for the goldfields (John Simpson Kirkpatrick of 'Simpson and his donkey' fame arrived in Australia by jumping ship). Stegelman's objects all relate to his career in both the German Navy and the merchant navy including the hire document that brought him to Australia. The story is also interesting for its cross-cultural marriage and the bringing together of two very different migrant stories from different periods in time.

Gladys Leichti's objects and story represents the push to attract young British girls for domestic service in the 1920s and the role of philanthropic organizations such as the Salvation Army in meeting this demand.

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