Registers of Certificates of Competency and Service (Cooks).

Registers of Cook Certificates of Competency and service dating from 1915-1958. The register is in order of certificate number (not names) starting at 5001 and ending at 41021 (Certificate number 31095-34999 was not used). The record consist of:
Date
Certificate Number
Name
Date Received
Port of examination
Place and year of birth
To whom the certificate was issued (where the certificate was sent to be collected)
Date Received
and the occasional remark
In the National Archives this record is BT 319 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3355

These are registers and are not to be confused with the Colonial Cook certificates RSS/CC.

Administrative / biographical background
The merchant Shipping Act 1906 called for the registration of cooks; this began on 30 June 1908. Cooks would either take an exam (Certificates of Competency) or by exemption due to long service (Certificates of Service.) It should be noted that these are arranged only by Certificate number (not name) and that none of the certificates themselves have survived.