When the war began, Canada had 38 ocean-going merchant vessels. Captain Elliott concluded that Anselm was abandoned without panic or unnecessary confusion. This was a process which had started with the award of Merchant Navy War Service medals, and the inclusion of the merchant navy in Anzac Day marches in the mid-1970s. Operations in and around the Dodecanese, Corsica, Greece, Sardinia and Yugoslavia after 11 June 1943 would also qualify. 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. There were no portholes, and ventilation came from the open access hatches which had to be closed at night when the ships were darkened. As fast as they drew up new convoy plans, the instructions would change. : s.n., between 1939 and 1940) AWM call number: 387.5071094 M554; Online. The Canadian Merchant Marine had only forty-one ocean-going merchant ships at the outbreak of the Second World War. It was the Knights of Columbus Hostel on Harvey Road which was frequently used by the servicemen. My name was and still is on the wall of remembrance in the Mission to Seaman in South Shields. When Germany invaded Norway on April 9-1940, the Norwegian ships that were in allied waters at the time were requisitioned by Royal Norwegian Government, which early on in the war managed to escape to the U.K. (the King was evacuated on June 7). The T124X records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on Royal Navy ships (or Royal Navy auxiliary vessels). Awarded after the Battle of the Atlantic for service between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. By the 26th of June 1943 the crew of the Samaria had heard of the body of Jim Wafer being found in Liverpool. The troop decks in this compartment contained many RAF and RAOC and the number of casualties was probably increased by the wooden laddersbeing smashed by the explosion. Anselm was indeed unfortunate to have been sighted and torpedoed whilst within the supposed protection of an anti-submarine screen by an isolated homeward bound U-Boat. Generally the qualifying service period for the Pacific Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. At this point the body of Matthew Towers A.B. Ships & Convoys. Welcome to the The British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus. Monarch of Bermuda embarked 2,287 troops and was one of ten liners in this convoy which eventually sailed on 12th November. This series contains records of Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. A merchant seaman had to have served a minimum of 28 days at sea. A merchant seaman had to serve in the Atlantic, home waters, North Russia Convoys or South Atlantic waters. Unfortunately, all their hard work diverting troops and stores came to nothing because Singapore fell into Japanese hands. The world has been led by intensive and extensive waves of darkness from renaissance all the way down to the Covid crisis. ConsultBT 139for certificates of competency from 1861-1921, BT 142forcertificates of service from 1862-1921 andBT 140for certificates of service of engineers examined in the colonies from 1870-1921 (index in BT 141). Hello, I have just started to look for my deceased fathers merchant navy records. The registers follow a similar format to Registers of Seamen Tickets in BT 113. At 7.45 p.m. the Samaria was about to sail. The Miramar ship index can be useful for obtaining this information. Ronnie stayed with the Merchant Navy during the war and was torpedoed off the east coast of the USA at some point. These records come from The National Archives' record series BT112, BT113, BT114, BT115, BT116, BT119 and BT120. After four months aboard the raider, we were transferred to a prison ship. 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. The Atlantic Star was also awarded to those awarded a gallantry medal, with no minimum qualifying period. Search Discovery, our catalogue, by name of person or ship in T 335 to find what the award was, the persons rank at the time, and the ship they were serving on. 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. 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. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 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. 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. privacy policy, Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. Results 1-2 of 2 View Record Name . Search and download ( charges apply) records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen (BT 395). Edit Search New Search. The two Ellerman ships City of Lincoln and City of Edinburgh had to return to Liverpool and the Clyde because cargo had shifted. If you have any unwanted By war's end 410 merchant ships had been built in Canada. The less said about our stay at Drancy the better. The first chapter of this books presents the three waves operations of social, political, economic, technological, military and educational aspect of world affairs under the following subjects. The book's structure follows the chronological evolution of geographical opinions and retains a geohistorical narrative. 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 Awards 1939-1945 Merchant Navy Awards 1939-1945 This collection details over 9,000 awards made to those who served in the Merchant Navy from 1939-45. (These were originally described as 'Asian seamen' but that is misleading. If you don't have an account please register. Wafer it states "he failed to re-join ship" and for M. Towers it reads "died as result of accident". Alternatively, search The National Archives Library to see what is available to consult at Kew. 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. Add a Name to this List 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. The story is called The Jinx. The Guildhall Library does not hold crew lists. On 5th July when she was 300 miles astern of convoy WS 9B she was torpedoed by U-96 under Capt. We are now on Facebook. 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. The Lloyd Captains Registers were compiled from the records of certificates issued to foreign-going masters. Our first night there we had doors for beds. Records of Merchant seamen serving in the Royal Navy under T124X and T124T contracts The UK National Archive (formerly the Public Record Office) holds the following records which are available for online access: The reference BT 391 includes the T124X records which detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on Royal Navy ships. The library does have collections of books, dealing with . 1.30 a.m. Friday 14th of May 1943 Jim Wafer was seen apparently asleep in Seaman Gunners Quarters by Able Seaman Stanley Poole. 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. Leonard Chapman Royal Fusiliers, We are also getting his diaries scanned as a book by the National Archives which we hope will serve as a fantastic record of a day in the life of a soldier on the convoys, both as a diary and also reflections and impressions which are very creative and moving. Friends of The National . These were to be my grandfather's final words on earth. Awarded for service in the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea or the Indian Ocean between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. Edit Search New Search. v3.0, except where otherwise stated, guide on Merchant seamens medals and honours, World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen, records of merchant seamen serving after 1917, Abbreviations in merchant seamens records, Friends of The National Then, as European-built iron-hulled sailing ships replaced wooden square-riggers, Canadian shipbuilders found it harder to compete. Order records to view when you visit. The following books may also prove useful: In general, seamens records for the period 1913-1972 can be found at TNA (unfortunately, most records for the First World War period do not appear to havesurvived). On the 23rd November the convoy was ordered to split into slow and fast convoys. Women also sometimes served at sea in the Merchant Navy. Merchant Vessel Files: Also included among the Coast Guard records is a series of Merchant Vessel Information Files, 1939 - 1952, which is arranged alphabetically by name of vessel and contains information about merchant vessels that entered U.S. ports during World War II. AncestryDNA Activate a Kit ; AncestryDNA Learning Hub ; What's Included in Your Results . IWM collections. Another brother Thomas was in the British Army. The War Medal 1939-45 was awarded for 28 days full-time service in the Armed Forces between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. The convoy arrived in Freetown on 1st March. Although the design of this website looks rather old-fashioned, it's still updated and is a good resource for Welsh Merchant Navy records. In some cases, not all the cards relating to a vessel have been amended to reflect the latest name-change. A merchant seaman might also qualify serving in operations off the Moroccan coast between 8 November 1942 and 12 May 1943. United States Merchant . In the eleven months on the ship Dad had spent three months in Liverpool. For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday Consult our guide to records of merchant seamen serving after 1917for advice on searching within registers of seamen and seamens pouchesto establishvoyage details which you may be able to apply to the service of officers. Records include photos, honours, service files and death records. 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?). Consult series BT 140 for details. For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday "Along with this new series have come some new experiences. 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. Catalogue entries for this series have been enhanced as part of a project supported by volunteers. There were no clasps awarded with the Italy Star. Saudi Arabia and the Second World War (1939-1945) 16. Particular emphasis was put on implementing the convoy system, by which warships would customarily escort groups of merchant ships to deter attacks from German U-boats. Within the Returns of Births and Deaths of Passengers 1939-1963 there are for 1939-1945 also records of deaths of soldiers on hospital and troopships, but it is necessary to know the name of the ship. ConsultBT 122-126and BT 128 (index in BT 127). USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 2. Before 1747 no formal record keeping of crews on merchant ships existed. You can also search: the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. The struggle for control over the Atlantic shipping routes, which would eventually become known as the Battle of the Atlantic, was one of the longest campaigns of WWII. The swell was of considerable height and the ships became almost unmanageable and steering had to be assisted by engines. In themerchant navy the term officer can refer to a master, mate, engineer, fishing boat skipper, second hand or cook. The story was hand written and falling apart but I have typed it up for preservation. to help with the costs of keeping the site running. I remember him telling me about runs to Malta and how soldiers shouldn't have been on ships. At 8 am on December 7, the Japanese submarine I-26 torpedoed SS Cynthia Olson, manned by mariners and transporting lumber for the Army from Tacoma, Washington to Honolulu.All aboard perished, making these merchant mariners among the earliest American casualties of the war. The ship left Suez on 27th August via Port Sudan to load commercial cargo at Mombasa for Capetown and the UK. 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. Our Archives, Open Government Licence In any case, there might be a legitimate reason why only some cards indicate the latest name, i.e. All First World War records for these formations have been transferred to TNA. Owners and gross tonnage (G.T.) Their targets now travel in convoys, fiercely guarded by Royal Navy destroyers, and when contact is finally made the hunters rapidly become the hunted. Description. There was no minimum time qualification for a Merchant Seaman. card and his grey suit jacket. Second World War (1939-1945) Archival records and resources from the Second World War Archival resources from Canada's participation in the Second World War. Many years later he wrote a short fictional story about a Maritime Regiment gunner who brought nothing but bad luck. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. The series generally contains information about radio equipment . Contents Part Two 11. Search indexes to crew lists from 1861 to 1913 by name on findmypast (). Ordinary Seaman Charles Lomax served with the Merchant Navy in WW2. v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Merchant Navy campaign medal records 1939-1945. are on the same page. Histories of the United States Merchant Marine from 1900 to 2000 Histories of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II (1939 - 1945) World War II Instruction Manuals for Mariners United States Government Reports on the Merchant Marine in World War II Histories of the United States Merchant Marine in the Korean War (1950 - 1953) duty by S. Pentith 3rd officer. A silver rose on the ribbon bar signifies the award of a bar. 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. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Merchantmen at War Official Story of Merchant Navy 1939 - 1944 at the best online prices at eBay! 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. Royal Australian Navy History, WWII Merchant ship movement records - Australia; Ron Wylie, Australian merchant navy: stories of the war at sea Background information. Consult series BT 128 for details. You can search for ships official numbers through the Crew List Index Project. giving a true reflection as to when the name-change was made. It sank many submarines, but it also lost a large number of warships. 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. Nortraship. 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. MO has 20th Century military records for discharged and deceased veterans. In 1939 the Admiralty instructed the Board of Trade, for reasons of. There was also no minimum qualifying period if service was terminated due to death or disability while on active duty. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, SAINT LOUIS, December 16, 2019 The public now has access to previously unavailable information concerning former merchant mariners and their maritime service through Merchant Marine Licensing Files, made available by the, The public can access these records in two ways: through a request made via an. There were still some men on the after deck, but could not see if they had jumped clear before the ship sank. 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. Digital copies of Merchant shipping movement cards 1939-1945 can be searched and downloaded. Despite sharing the word Navy in their titles, the difference between the Royal and Merchant Navies was that sailors in the latter were classed as civilians. Nine types of medals were awarded to British merchant seamen who served in the Second World War and who met the qualifications for each medal. 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. The passage to Durban took longer than anticipated because the route diverted to sail closer to the African coast and the convoy speed dropped to 6.1/2 knots to enable the RN escorts to rendezvous with a tanker for refuelling at Point Noire. Records of masters and mates passing the voluntary examination are in series BT 143 (which includes a name index) and in BT 6/218-219. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for Ruth Mcmillen. The cards are presented in alphabetical order by ship's name. By 08.20 both escorts were proceeding at 6 knots towing Anselms empty boats, but as speed increased to 13 knots these gradually broke away and were lost. They also record the location (by latitude and longitude) and date a ship was sunk. 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. At 5.00 p.m. on Thursday 13th of May 1943, my grandfather Jim reported for duty on troop ship S.S. Samaria to J. Lowe 2nd officer. Read tagging guidelines. Generally awarded if the seaman qualified for one of the Stars. Many thousands of POWs died there. Numbers were allocated to the certificate of service in BT 130 are as follows: We hold indexes to registers of certificates of competence and service for cooks, 1913-1956 in BT 319. Let us know. This camp bordered on primitive in every sense of the word. "On the 16th July 1940, I was on 4-8 watch when according to the 8-12 watch a ship flying Yugoslav colours had opened fire from the port quarter, killing the radio operator and setting fire to the bridge. Below is the last movement card for the SS Athenia. 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). 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. The Socio-political Structure of Saudi Arabia after its Creation 14. 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. This caused miserable conditions throughout the overcrowded and claustrophobic troopdecks. . If anyone knows of my father, Captain Len Chapman I will be pleased to hear! On 13th December the weather reached gale force which repeated the heavy rolling and misery in the troopdecks experienced on the first leg of the voyage. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Services and information Second World War death records Search the war dead service files from the Second World War. - Merchant Navy during the Second World War -. His brother Francis David Short was in the First War but I have no details on his service. On being examined by the ship's surgeon life was found to be extinct. At the National Archives, researchers can find information on the United States Navy ranging from the wooden hulled ships of the Continental Navy used in the Revolutionary War, to the deployment of massive Carrier Battle Groups and Navy Task Forces. The National Archives at St. Louis does not provide information for benefits or separation documents, such as DD-214s, for these records. Divided first by country and then by shipping company, the book includes the ships of such great Showing 1-30 of 261 records. 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). If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. The National Maritime Museum holds the registers (see below). 3 hold. If they appear on the same page, you should only pay one fee. Each set of cards records: The cards also show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk. However, service was considered military in nature for those who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946. Here's some details: Full Name: Harold Dowle Born: 7th June 1911 I have a card with a discharge A number in the name of H Dowle of 714335 for 12/7/1938 on a ship called Lornaston (148881) from Liverpool. Underneath, the caption reads: `The life-line is firm thanks to the Merchant Navy`. Visit The National Archives bookshop for a range of publications on the Merchant Navy. Military ; Card Catalog ; Member Search ; DNA. Records available only at The National Archives in Kew To access the records in this. After five days of normal transportation (i.e., in cattle trucks), we arrived at Bremervorde in northwestern Germany near Bremen, and were then marched several miles to Stalag X-B in Sandbostel, where we were greeted by the stink of death. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. LOG BOOKS AND CREW AGREEMENTS Merchant Navy - The port where the merchant mariner signed on as a member of a ship's crew at the commencement or during the war. Eight of them are searchable here whilst the ninth, the Arctic Star, was not awarded until 2012 and records of its award do not exist at The National Archives. This enabled them to arrive at Freetown on the 25th for fuelling and water before sailing on 28th for Durban. was taken ashore by the military authorities for burial. This information will help us make improvements to the website. *Estimated delivery dates - opens in a new window or tab include seller's handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment. Conversely, it was fortunate that fair weather allowed the rescue of 80 per cent of the total on board. For each officer registers provide: Look for a certificate entry in theregisters of certificates (they are arranged by certificate number) listed below. She was ordered into the Clyde and the 990 RAF and 419 troops on board were going to disembark. This guide will help you find and interpret records of Merchant Navy officers from 1845 to 1965. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. When he talked to my Grandad he was told that he had a bad headache. The minimum qualifying period was one day. 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. Anyone who qualified for both the France & Germany Star and the Atlantic Star would be awarded the first Star earned, with a Clasp. By now the United States had entered the war and Japanese forces were invading Malaya. Want to know what life was like during the War? From 1845 onwards a system of examinations was introduced for masters and mates.
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