This series contains records of Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. United States Merchant . 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. The slower ships left the convoy at Capetown and the convoy increased speed to 14 knots rounding the Cape into a full gale which eventually turned so that they had a following sea. The survivors in the water and boats were picked up by HMS Starwort and Challenger approximately 230 on the former and 820 on the latter, but owing to the intense overcrowding an accurate count was not possible. The only good thing I remember about Drancy was the kindness of the French women who had nothing themselves, but nevertheless threw loaves of bread to us past the guards. The National Maritime Museum holds the registers (see below). Object category. Gunner and T. Moulton Sectionman. This information will help us make improvements to the website. In the indexes, names beginning with Mc or Mac are usually found under the letter following that prefix. ","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"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. 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. You may be searching for a ship on dates before or after movement cards were in use on that vessel. 09:00 to 17:00. The Socio-political Structure of Saudi Arabia after its Creation 14. On 1 September 1939 this passenger liner set sail from Glasgow with over 1400 passengers and crew aboard. 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?). Some idea of the danger awaiting convoys is given by the following story. 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. ","copyright":"INF13-213 (52)","url":"https://images.prismic.io/findmypast-titan/9794e89f-46cb-4342-8b53-47272a1b0f4b_inf13-213-52-world-war-ii-poster-the-life-line-is-firm-thanks-to-the-merchant-navy.jpg?auto=compress,format"},"caption":"The Life-line Is Firm Thanks To The Merchant Navy Image: INF13-213 (52)"}},{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceText","type":"slice-text","primary":{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceTextPrimary","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"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. I was held in Stalag X-B for two years, and I will never forget that smell it lingered constantly. 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) It sank many submarines, but it also lost a large number of warships. 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. Generally the qualifying service period for the Burma Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Like this page to receive our updates. I know that during 1939 to 1945 he served on a few Navy ships as an engineering officer RNVR and some time ago I sent a letter to obtain a record of the Naval ships he sailed in. Visit The National Archives bookshop for a range of publications on the Merchant Navy. Unfortunately, all their hard work diverting troops and stores came to nothing because Singapore fell into Japanese hands. Owners and gross tonnage (G.T.) What ship was Admiral Harold Stark on during D-Day? 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. Suffice it to say the remainder of the convoy including Monarch of Bermuda made the passage safely arriving in Freetown on 13th July to fuel and take on water and sailing on 17th July for Durban. Merchant ship movement card (catalogue reference: BT 389). Many merchant seamen came from parts of the British Empire, such as India, Hong Kong and west African countries. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
Few if any of the troops had ever crossed the English Channel let alone been exposed to the rigours of the North Atlantic. Women also sometimes served at sea in the Merchant Navy. You may also like to read ourguide on Merchant seamens medals and honours. Genealogical enquiries should be made in writing and search fees are 30. 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. 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. 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). 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. Records include photos, honours, service files and death records. One statement indicates he fell forward unhindered over the gun deck another says he staggered, gripped a rail and fell backwards to his death. 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. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from IWM collections Menu. Robert Malcolm Barber MV Patella (d.16th Feb 1944). 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. Our first night there we had doors for beds. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. The ship left Suez on 27th August via Port Sudan to load commercial cargo at Mombasa for Capetown and the UK. Merchant Navy 1939-1945 Royal Navy 1939-1945 Naval Warfare Atlantic 1939-1945 Malta 1939-1945 British Home Front 1939-1945 British Army 1939-1945 Submarines German Home Front 1939-1945 Prisoners of War, . The men went to their boats in an orderly and quiet manner. Conversely, it was fortunate that fair weather allowed the rescue of 80 per cent of the total on board. Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records. (d.13th October 1945), Capt. During wartime, however, they can become an auxiliary to the United States Navycalled upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military. A register entry for a foreign trade voyage, from BT 124. 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 ships formed up with the Clyde contingent for convoy WS 16 west of Orsay on the 17th. 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. These files have joined our collection in an effort to better serve the public who are looking for proof of their ancestor's service, The first block of this series contained 4,800 cubic feet of records, The Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC) is the approving official for World War II Merchant Marine separation documents. Research guide C12: The Merchant Navy: Ship registration and Custom House records; Research guide E1: . At this point the body of Matthew Towers A.B. Search All Records ; . Medal record of Alfred Harry Badman, BT 395/1. research. Awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. "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. For details of the Arctic Star see our guide to Merchant seamans medals and honours. Merchant Navy ships' records: movement cards 1939-1945; Merchant Navy ships' records: registration of merchant ships; Add a tag. We do not provide copies of online records please download to view, Visit us in Kew to see original documents or view online records for free, Consider paying for Most of the masters and mates were from West Wales. It does not, however, include: You may be searching for a ship using a former name. Genealogical enquiriesshould be made in writing and search fees are 30. LOG BOOKS AND CREW AGREEMENTS The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources. The registers follow a similar format to Registers of Seamen Tickets in BT 113. Conditions on the raider were passable, but the prison ship was deplorable. 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. 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). The Wartime Memories Project is a non profit organisation run by volunteers. In themerchant navy the term officer can refer to a master, mate, engineer, fishing boat skipper, second hand or cook. At 7.05 p.m. Matthew Towers A.B. They also record the location (by latitude and longitude) and date a ship was sunk. You can search for ships official numbers through the Crew List Index Project. 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! Search The Gazette for lists of masters and mates who passed officer examinations. They sailed up the Irish Sea to join with the Clyde portion to form convoy WS 9B. Ships & Convoys. However, service was considered military in nature for those who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946. There was also no minimum qualifying period if service was terminated due to death or disability while on active duty. *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. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Most of the casualties were considered to have been killed by the explosion and subsequent flooding in No. Records we hold This website Search The registers survive at TNA in BT 120, BT 112, BT 113, BT 114, BT 116 and BT 119. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. 3rd Radio Off. 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. List view Image view. A microfiche index to their holdings is kept by TNA. Anyone who qualified for both the France & Germany Star and the Atlantic Star would be awarded the first Star earned, with a Clasp. Using testimony from new witnesses and hitherto undisclosed public records, he seeks to explain why they were reported missing: believed killed. This meant that Monarch of Bermuda with eight other liners and the cruiser HMS Royal Sovereign increased speed from 13 knots to 16 knots. Merchant navy defence courses: general information ([Melbourne? In some cases, not all the cards relating to a vessel have been amended to reflect the latest name-change. By the 26th of June 1943 the crew of the Samaria had heard of the body of Jim Wafer being found in Liverpool. 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. For ability and general conduct both men are reported as very good. Little did I know, but back home I was considered missing and presumed dead. The convoy would have various naval escorts during the trip which would join and leave as the convoy passed their bases. Photographs CAPTAIN CHARLES FRYATT Main image:Allied convoy crossing the North Atlantic in 1942 during World War 2. 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. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for Ruth Mcmillen. 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. Details of masters and mates who have voluntarily passed an examination appear inthe Lloyds Register of Shipping (copies of which are available at The National Archives). We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. At 6.25 p.m. Wednesday 26th of May 1943 P.C. She was ordered into the Clyde and the 990 RAF and 419 troops on board were going to disembark. The swell was of considerable height and the ships became almost unmanageable and steering had to be assisted by engines. Also some happy times with the Indian Army who were great allies and enjoyed partying English style, as a relief from the war time battles. The trip back to Liverpool was via Durban, Capetown, Trinidad and Halifax. 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. Samaria sailed from Clyde 19th of May to Algiers and arrived 27th of May 1943. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. The Lloyd Captains Registers were compiled from the records of certificates issued to foreign-going masters. In the Merchant Navy there is a requirement that the 28 days should have been served at sea. The less said about our stay at Drancy the better. . Gunner, R. W. Orr D.E.M.S. Awarded for service between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945, in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. Some useful printed works include: The Roll of Honour of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets 1939-1945, 3 vols (London: Ministry of . On being examined by the ship's surgeon life was found to be extinct. The cards give the name of a ship and details of its movements, namely, the ports at which it docked, and passage between ports. By war's end 410 merchant ships had been built in Canada. If anyone knows of my father, Captain Len Chapman I will be pleased to hear! The medals were claimed and issued from 1946 to 2002. Ordinary Seaman Charles Lomax served with the Merchant Navy in WW2. These records were compiled at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. 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. 1939-1950. Canada's air support was crucial throughout the war. giving a true reflection as to when the name-change was made. 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. Consult series BT 140 for details. Let us know. Up to 1854 records are arranged by port and registry number; subsequently by ship's official number. She left on 3rd of August with four other troop ships and three ships carrying military equipment still as part of convoy WS 9B. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. ","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. 09:00 to 17:00. This collection records the movements of ships ordinarily engaged in foreign going trade. For information on how to order an Official Military Personnel File for a veteran who separated from service before 1957, . Research guidance for records relating to World War 2. Find answers to your research questions at, How to File a FOIA Request for Archival Records. 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. 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. 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. Monarch of Bermuda sailed on Christmas Eve for Liverpool via Trinidad arriving back on 21st January 1942. v3.0, the day by day movements of the ship (in Athenias case the final entry records her sinking), anticipated movements, i.e. This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The ship remained in Liverpool for five weeks during which time two weeks voyage repairs were carried out so I should imagine that Mum saw a good deal of Dad during that time. The Oil Concessions 15. 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. Next Apply for your own . The date commemorates the sinking of the first British merchant ship in 1939, just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. 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. A merchant seaman had to have served a minimum of 28 days at sea. You can search ()the records in Discovery, our catalogue, by filling in the form below. My name was and still is on the wall of remembrance in the Mission to Seaman in South Shields. 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. The ship Adrastus had to heave-to to secure cargo which had come adrift and didnt catch up with the convoy until three days later. Registration of cooks in the Merchant Navy began on 30 June 1908. From things he had said prior to his death, the family believe that the story could actually be based on himself and those he served with. You may be searching for a vesselfor which these cards were never used. Furthermore, the MID does not appear on the Order of Wearing Australian Honours and Awards approved from time . The two aircraft carriers escorting the convoy lost aircraft due to crash landings, considered by Admiral Somerville to be due to lack of training and experience of deck landing to a regrettable degree. The qualifying service period for the Atlantic Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve records can also be accessed online. William Gibb and Sgt Fox found my Grandad's body in the South West corner of the West Huskisson dock. This was simply a record of the. For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday The National Archives at St. Louis does not provide information for benefits or separation documents, such as DD-214s, for these records. Service Number . These records have been selected on the basis that they reflect the economic, social and demographic condition of the UK, as documented by the state's dealings with individuals, communities and organisations outside of its own formal boundaries (2.2.2.1 of PRO's acquisition policy).