Want to find out more about your relative's service? Also awarded, with no minimum service requirement, if service was terminated by death, disability due to service or capture as a prisoner-of-war. Woodman here relates the Merchant Navy's colourful history and brings to life the day-to-day experiences of the seamen. reference to the medal papers file (held at the Registry of Shipping and Seamen), DNA: Director of Naval Accounts (the Royal Navy medal issuing authority) or, more recently, Do Not Authorise, Refer to Aust: the medals were not issued to an individual by the Registry of Shipping but referred on to the Australian authorities, Refer to NZ: the medals were not issued to an individual by the Registry of Shipping but referred on to the New Zealand authorities. Although the Merchant Navy was a civilian service, during the periods of hostilities some mariners served in uniform with the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Naval Reserve Trawler Section, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. Military ; Card Catalog ; Member Search ; DNA. From 1835, details of seafarers were recorded in registers by the Register Office for Merchant Seamen, later the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, using information from the crew lists. Wafer it states "he failed to re-join ship" and for M. Towers it reads "died as result of accident". The U-boat War in World War Two (Kriegsmarine, 1939-1945) and World War One (Kaiserliche Marine, 1914-1918) and the Allied efforts to counter the threat. Arrangements for those who succumbed to seasickness consisted of 40 gallon drums which slid about the deck with unpleasant splashings. Now, many warships had immediately packed the harbour, so, the navy men and merchant seamen had all gone to St. John's for their off hours. I have a record of him being on HMS Leonian in 1941/2 from a list of people he wanted to write telegrams to from the ship. When they reached Aden on 15th August the convoy was disbanded. 1 With only two decades since the ending of the Great War most serving shipmasters would have been at sea during . A register entry for a foreign trade voyage, from BT 124. . In these instances the cards have been separated and placed alphabetically according to the name shown without a deletion. At 7.05 p.m. Matthew Towers A.B. You may be searching for a vesselfor which these cards were never used. The cards are of different colours depending on the type of qualification: Consult registers and renewals of certificates of competency ofmasters andmates in BT 317; masters, mates and engineers in BT 318; just engineersin BT 320 (1913-1935) (in process of transfer from National Maritime Museum under references RSS/ENG/5-6); and fishing officers in BT 396. duty by S. Pentith 3rd officer. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. A merchant seaman had to have served a minimum of 28 days at sea. The Atlantic Star was also awarded to those awarded a gallantry medal, with no minimum qualifying period. Conversely, it was fortunate that fair weather allowed the rescue of 80 per cent of the total on board. They cover masters with foreign trade certificates sailing either as masters or mates. Maurice "Ginger" Archer SS Wendover. E. A. Huntbatch SS Orama (d.15th July 1941), Fireman James Gilbert Goodwin S.S. San Casto (London). Edit Search New Search. Read tagging guidelines. After the First World War King George V, in recognition of the contribution made to the British war effort by merchant ships, granted the title of Merchant Navy to non-military sailors. Ronnie stayed with the Merchant Navy during the war and was torpedoed off the east coast of the USA at some point. the-raf-in-camera-1939-1945 1/11 Downloaded from uniport.edu.ng on March 2, 2023 by guest . The two Ellerman ships City of Lincoln and City of Edinburgh had to return to Liverpool and the Clyde because cargo had shifted. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. The Crew List Index Project (CLIP) offers a searchable index of ships by official number. You can find out whether a medal was issued by looking at the markings on the records. In 1939, a third of the world's merchant ships were British, and there were some 200,000 sailors. There were still some men on the after deck, but could not see if they had jumped clear before the ship sank. Another important archive open to the public is theLloyds Marine Collectionat the Guildhall Library which holds the Captains Registers for the period up to 1948, voyage record cards 1927 to 1975 and runs of theLloyds Registers, Lloyds ListsandMercantile Navy Lists. For details of the Arctic Star see our guide to Merchant seamans medals and honours. Show all records. Tragically, 30,248 merchant seamen lost their lives during World War Two, a death rate proportionally higher than in any of the armed forces. The staff had been working 48 hours without sleep planning the convoy and then tearing up the plan and movement orders as changes took place. A merchant seaman could qualify after six months service with at least one voyage in an operational area. This information will help us make improvements to the website. It should be noted that the cards do not always reflect changes in the ship's name and that it may be necessary to search for a ship under its various names. As fast as they drew up new convoy plans, the instructions would change. Personnel records available to the public are now held byThe National Archives (TNA), formerly known as the Public Record Office, the website has helpful research guides. I believe, SS Port Sydney also survived the war so, I am uncertain on which ship Ronnie was serving when torpedoed. This collection records the movements of ships ordinarily engaged in foreign going trade. In the top left corner of the record is the ships name. Using testimony from new witnesses and hitherto undisclosed public records, he seeks to explain why they were reported missing: believed killed. Search for the National Maritime Museums records of master and mate certificates (1850-1927) on Ancestry.co.uk (). Visit The National Archives bookshop for a range of publications on the Merchant Navy. 1939 194 Yeah, reviewing a book Embleme Wappen Malings Deutscher U Boote 1939 194 could . The convoy was originally supposed to sail at the end of October 1942 as WS 13 but its designation was changed to WS 12Z (a lucky omen?). When the war began, Canada had 38 ocean-going merchant vessels. In the indexes, names beginning with Mc or Mac are usually found under the letter following that prefix. The official history for the Second World War, Australia in the War of 1939-1945, has been digitised and is available for viewing on the Memorial's web site. - Merchant Navy during the Second World War -. Awarded for service between 6 June 1944 and 8 May 1945, in direct support of land operations in France, Belgium, Holland or Germany, in the North sea, the English Channel or the Bay of Biscay (service off the coast of the south of France could qualify for the Italy Star, see below). I think the tag '' should be removed from: Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events, All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, BT - Records of the Board of Trade and of successor and related bodies, Division within BT - Records of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen and successor, Merchant shipping movement cards 1939-1945, Merchant Navy ships' records: movement cards 1939-1945, Merchant Navy ships' records: registration of merchant ships, About our . You may be searching for a ship on dates before or after movement cards were in use on that vessel. Records of Merchant Navy from other sources. We weren't sorry to leave there in a cattle truck three days later, when we were taken to Drancy Prison in Paris. The troops on Monarch of Bermuda were originally destined for the Far East but would now be discharged at Durban. Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records. Narrow your search by using double quotation marks to find a ships or persons full name, such as Sydney Star or John Williams. The database includes every British registered ship from 1855 to the early 1950s with official numbers 1 to 200000. v3.0. The often slow-moving shipsand the civilian merchant mariners who maneuvered themwere easy targets for enemy fire. After the outbreak of war, Germany declared that every vessel of the British mercantile marine was to be regarded as a warship, meaning that the sailors of the Merchant Navy faced tremendous risks. For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday The Royal Canadian Navy was the third-largest fleet in the world by the end of the war, having enlisted 100,000 men and 6,500 women. In Britain, New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries, 3 September is Merchant Navy Day. On 1 September 1939 this passenger liner set sail from Glasgow with over 1400 passengers and crew aboard. Some are at TNA, while a few are held by theNational Maritime Museum. In 1939 the Admiralty instructed the Board of Trade, for reasons of. To access the records in this section you will either need to visit usor, where you can identify a specific document reference, order a copy(). From 1850 onwards, an officer was only officially qualified or certified as an officer if he had been awarded a Certificate of Competency (by passing an exam) or a Certificate of Service (for long service). Many were singing songs while the boats were being lowered. Many years later he wrote a short fictional story about a Maritime Regiment gunner who brought nothing but bad luck. The Wartime Memories Project is a non profit organisation run by volunteers. When the convoy arrived at Durban on 21st March the Commodore recommended that the Armed Merchant Cruisers used for convoy protection were not suitable owing to their slow speed of 12.1/2 knots when the liners carrying 4,000 troops were capable of 18 knots or more. The weather was initially fair but by the 16th November they were in heavy seas in a Force 8 gale which was right on the beam causing the ships to roll heavily. Friends of The National In any case, there might be a legitimate reason why only some cards indicate the latest name, i.e. Genealogical enquiries should be made in writing and search fees are 30. recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. Owners and gross tonnage (G.T.) The book's structure follows the chronological evolution of geographical opinions and retains a geohistorical narrative. Below is the last movement card for the SS Athenia. Remember, you'll need to show photo ID to be issued with records. Nortraship. A merchant seaman might also qualify serving in operations off the Moroccan coast between 8 November 1942 and 12 May 1943. 09:00 to 17:00. The minimum qualifying period was one day. You might also find information about an officer by searching the records of ordinary merchant seamen. Awarded for service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. From the mid-18th century, masters or owners of most British-registered merchant ships were required to keep a record of their crew before the ship left port. Samaria sailed out of Liverpool on Friday 14th of May 1943 and was on the Clyde Monday 17th of May. I was held in Stalag X-B for two years, and I will never forget that smell it lingered constantly. Find out dates of departure and arrival by consulting: Search the alphabetical register (BT 115) on Findmypast () which was compiled from crew lists. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. This collection of records, BT 395, lists the medals awarded to merchant seamen for their service in the Second World War (1939-1945), with the exception of the Arctic Star. Furthermore, the MID does not appear on the Order of Wearing Australian Honours and Awards approved from time . It may help to know the number of a ship as ships are sometimes referred to in the records by their number rather then their name. The entries are arranged in date order and provide: Apply for a copy of a certificate from the National Maritime Museums Caird Library you will need the certificate number. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Little did I know, but back home I was considered missing and presumed dead. Canada's air support was crucial throughout the war. According to a later report by the ship Cathay, the previous nights U-Boat dispositions siutuated a submarine close to the position of Anselm and which, despite the three corvette anti-submarine screen, allowed U-96 to put in a successful attack at 05.37 when a torpedo struck the port side reserve bunkers of Anselm. The details are in an appendix entitled An Alphabetical List of all the Masters and Mates in the Merchant Service. Each set of cards records: The cards also show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk. She was ordered into the Clyde and the 990 RAF and 419 troops on board were going to disembark. the intended destination, details of the cargo expected to be collected at the next port of call, the initials of the clerk making the entry and the date it was made, vessels requisitioned for military service. Gunner, R. W. Orr D.E.M.S. It was the job of the Ministry to decide what cargo the ships would carry and the function they would fulfil in order to best support the war effort, while crewing and provisioning remained under the jurisdiction of the shipping industry. If you have any unwanted Ships & Convoys. There was no minimum time qualification for a Merchant Seaman. A Clasp would be worn to signify service for the other Star. We can either copy our records onto paper or deliver them to you digitally, Visit us in Kew to see original documents or view online records for free, Consider paying for To have have kept all the cards together would have rendered them out of alphabetical order (in contravention of the specification) with possible adverse consequences for the list. This collection of records, BT 395, lists the medals awarded to merchant seamen for their service in the Second World War (1939-1945), with the exception of the. The date commemorates the sinking of the first British merchant ship in 1939, just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. ","spans":[]}]}},{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceQuote","type":"slice-quote","primary":{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceQuotePrimary","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"As the outbreak of World War II edged closer in 1939, the British merchant fleet remained the largest in the world, employing some 200,000 men and women. Information about official records for the Merchant Navy (UK) can be found at the National Maritime Museum (UK) Details about the role of the Australian Merchant Navy and the role Australian merchant ships played in World War II can be found at Merchant Ships of Australia in World War 2. For skippers and mates of fishing boats, registers of certificates of competency are in BT 129and registers of certificates of service are in BT 130 (index in BT 138). Sanitary arrangements were, as usual, inadequate. What ship was Admiral Harold Stark on during D-Day? The seamens discharge book numbers are usually listed, and you may find the date and place of birth too. 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However, service was considered military in nature for those who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946. Operational and non-operational service may be counted, providing that it was of 28 days or more duration. Consult copies of the Mercantile Navy List for 1860 to 1864 in The National Archives reading rooms for alphabetical lists of masters and mates (with certificate numbers) as well as one-line obituaries for deceased seamen. Germany turned submarines, battleships, aircraft and mines on Britains supply lines, while British and American shipyards worked tirelessly to replace those ships that were sunk. Modern entries giving wholesale name-changes to a ship's multiple set of cards could not be made to historic records. In 1939 the Admiralty instructed the Board of Trade, for reasons of security, to prevent masters of merchant vessels from using ships logs or crew lists and agreements to record destinations or ports of call. This information will help us make improvements to the website. On 11th February Monarch of Bermuda embarked 2,500 troops and had to anchor with other troopships in the River Mersey held up by fog until the 16th. MO has 20th Century military records for discharged and deceased veterans. The Consolidation of the Arabian Territories around Najd (1918-1926) 12. But by the time its recommendations were implemented in 1994, the 15-year- old deckboys would have been in their mid-60s, while a seaman of 50 when the war ended would have been 100. A little after 1.30 a.m. the last person to speak to Grandad was Able Seaman M. Towers. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence In the eleven months on the ship Dad had spent three months in Liverpool. They give the seaman's name, age, rank, rating/grade etc with details of the ships on which they served. The cards are presented in alphabetical order by ship's name. He said he always craved the soil under his boots. He survived. The ship left Suez on 27th August via Port Sudan to load commercial cargo at Mombasa for Capetown and the UK. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. George Smith died later of his injuries. Ordinary Seaman Charles Lomax served with the Merchant Navy in WW2. The stokehold and engine-room were soon flooded and with the engines stopped, the ship lost way and within eight minutes, Captain Elliott reported that Anselm was badly down by the head. Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck Evan McGilvray 2020-09-30 This military biography explores v3.0, the Lloyd Lists which are available at the Guildhall Library or the, record of voyages (certificates up to 1888 only) dates are for when the records were filed and are not arrival dates sometimes records were filed after a series of voyages, date of death (certificates after 1888 only and only sometimes), date, number and place of issue of the masters certificate obtained, any other special qualification, including the steam certificate from 1874, name and number (taken from the Mercantile Navy Lists) of each ship (date of engagement and discharge as master or mate and the destination of each voyage), any special awards (for example, war service), pasted-in summaries of the qualifications and service from 1851 of masters who were still active in 1869, green for skippers and mates of fishing boats. As the outbreak of World War II edged closer in 1939, the British merchant fleet remained the largest in the world, employing some 200,000 men and women. For Matty Towers the three witness statements into his death are very contradictory. For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday Records of Merchant Navy from other sources. Helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence Want to know what life was like during the War? This camp bordered on primitive in every sense of the word. A man was washed overboard from one of the escorting destroyers but was not recovered. By the 26th of June 1943 the crew of the Samaria had heard of the body of Jim Wafer being found in Liverpool. Search and download () records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen (BT 395). (These were originally described as 'Asian seamen' but that is misleading. Matthew Towers was 48 years old when he lost his life. ). Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. After four months aboard the raider, we were transferred to a prison ship. Thomas Andrew "Tots" Storey (d.7th Sep 1940), L/Bdr Norman Power Maritime Regiment Royal Artillery. The following codes may be found on the record: Markings found on the record may include: The letter R over a code can signify that an application for that medal was reviewed and refused. If they appear on the same page, you should only pay one fee. Search The Gazette for lists of masters and mates who passed officer examinations. At this point the body of Matthew Towers A.B. We are researching his time in India but know of some stories but not a lot except playing hockey against and Indian Team and winning! (6th June 1944 - 8th May 1945). These records are digitised cards recording the movements of British and Allied merchant ships during the Second World War. Under an Admiralty instruction during World War II masters of merchant ships were ordered not to record in the tabular section of the log book the ports at which their ships called or details of their voyages in case this information got into enemy hands. Some copies of the latter have been digitized and put online by theMaritime History Archivein Canada. Archives, Open Government Licence Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from With all of Britains oil arriving by sea, half of her food, and most of her raw materials more than a million tonnes per week, in total- the smooth functioning of the merchant fleet was integral to the nations survival. In the longest campaign of the war, the British merchant fleet, with its naval escorts, struggled to bring food, fuel, equipment and raw materials from America and elsewhere across the Atlantic,. The National Archives holds indexes to the registers covering the period 1913-1956 (the registers themselves, for 1915-1958, are held at the National Maritime Museum). Merchant Navy service Records of pre-World War I and colonial service World War I service with the Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force an War gratuity cards for World War I and World War II Records of Navy service after 1970 Other contacts We hold the following records about service in the Royal Australian Navy: The T124T records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on tugs. World War Two 1939-1945 - Archives New Zealand Skip to main content Our reading rooms are open. He was rescued, repatriated and managed to survive the war. When he talked to my Grandad he was told that he had a bad headache. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. Two days later the Coroner held an inquest into Grandad's death and the verdict was given as unascertainable. Main image:Allied convoy crossing the North Atlantic in 1942 during World War 2. Awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. 10thFeb 2023 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. A total of 254 officers and men lost their lives in the sinking of Anselm, of which 176 were RAF, 70 from other services and 4 crew. ","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Main image:Allied convoy crossing the North Atlantic in 1942 during World War 2. This section includes over 21.000 Allied Warships and over 11.000 Allied Commanders of WWII, from the US Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, The Polish Navy and others. Most of the masters and mates were from West Wales. While the crew were preparing and lowering the lifeboats which were filled with personnel as they calmly filed up from the troop decks, HMS Challenger approached and skilfully placed her bow under the port quarter of Anselm, Many men jumped on board before the two ships became separated. By 05.47 all remaining boats were being rapidly filled by the use of side ladders and side decks while the remaining personnel jumped into the sea to grasp the lifelines of boats and rafts. This number made up around one third of the entire global merchant fleet at the time, with many of the seamen coming from all over the Empire, including India, Hong Kong and West Africa. The ship had to wait in Aden until the Monster liners Mauretania, Ile de France and Nieuw Amsterdam from convoy CM 15 had passed through ahead of her to disembark at Suez before she did. Merchant Navy ships' records: movement cards 1939-1945; Merchant Navy ships' records: registration of merchant ships; Add a tag. ","spans":[]}]}},{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceText","type":"slice-text","primary":{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceTextPrimary","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"After the declaration of war in September 1939, the Ministry of Shipping then under the control of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Gilmour took control of the merchant fleet. To view all records for an individual, select 'ALL' in the Service box. Results 1-2 of 2 View Record Name . On the outbreak of the 1939-1945 war between the United Kingdom and Germany (3 September 1939), British-registered merchant ship masters were sent radio messages instructing them to open the sealed envelope which had been deposited in ships' safes as much as a year previously.
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