merchant navy records 1939 to 1945

Show all records. Medals and awards Refer to our research guides: Campaign and service medals Australian military honours and awards Where to look for photographs 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. These records were compiled at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. For each officer registers provide: Look for a certificate entry in theregisters of certificates (they are arranged by certificate number) listed below. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 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. These cards have been selected as they reflect the economic, social and demographic condition of the UK, as documented by the state's dealings with individuals, communities and organisations outside its own formal boundaries (2.2.2.1 of PRO's acquisition policy). This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. I hope to also take a digital diary when it is finished to the Arctic Convoy Museum at Loch Ewe. : s.n., between 1939 and 1940) AWM call number: 387.5071094 M554; Online. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence Much of the information would have come from the Royal Navy. This guide will help you find and interpret records of Merchant Navy officers from 1845 to 1965. After a change of orders she eventually left the Clyde with escorts on 30th June. 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. Medal record of Alfred Harry Badman, BT 395/1. 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. He may have been in the Devon or Dorset Regiment. 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. giving a true reflection as to when the name-change was made. The first time a foreign team have ever beaten them! In the eleven months on the ship Dad had spent three months in Liverpool. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. 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. After four months aboard the raider, we were transferred to a prison ship. Then, as European-built iron-hulled sailing ships replaced wooden square-riggers, Canadian shipbuilders found it harder to compete. How do I find out where my uncle was stationed during his stint in the Navy? Search and download () records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen (BT 395). 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. 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. Using testimony from new witnesses and hitherto undisclosed public records, he seeks to explain why they were reported missing: believed killed. The ship turned out to be a disguised German raider. The movement control staff in Durban were receiving signals from London changing the instructions for the destinations of the various troops. You need to sign in to tag. The official record of these two mens' deaths falls so short of telling the whole story. The convoy arrived in Freetown on 1st March. If a ship had a former name this would be written in brackets. 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. The swell was of considerable height and the ships became almost unmanageable and steering had to be assisted by engines. ). In the top left corner of the record is the ships name. Remember, you'll need to show photo ID to be issued with records. 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. 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. In some cases, not all the cards relating to a vessel have been amended to reflect the latest name-change. 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 The series generally contains information about radio equipment . We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. 1939-1950. Records 1939 - 1946. Friends of The National We are now on Facebook. . The family believed that the torpedoed ship was the Tacoma Star of the Blue Star Line but I believe that ship was lost with all hands and Ronnie's name does not appear on the casualty list. At first it was voluntary and applied only to foreign-going vessels. James Wafer S.S. Samaria (d.14th May 1943) James Wafer started service as an Able Seaman during World War 1 and had survived active service as a teenage merchant man on a ship called Romney. Want to find out more about your relative's service? 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. 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 May 1943 S.S. Samaria was in West Huskisson dock at my grandfather's home port of Liverpool. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from IWM collections Menu. In 1939, a third of the world's merchant ships were British, and there were some 200,000 sailors. Samaria sailed out of Liverpool on Friday 14th of May 1943 and was on the Clyde Monday 17th of May. ","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Main image:Allied convoy crossing the North Atlantic in 1942 during World War 2. Arrangements for those who succumbed to seasickness consisted of 40 gallon drums which slid about the deck with unpleasant splashings. Generally the qualifying service period for the Pacific Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. What are these records? 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. The T124X records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on Royal Navy ships (or Royal Navy auxiliary vessels). His brother Francis David Short was in the First War but I have no details on his service. to help with the costs of keeping the site running. The column on the right of each record contains a reference number to the entitlement file held by the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. This meant that Monarch of Bermuda with eight other liners and the cruiser HMS Royal Sovereign increased speed from 13 knots to 16 knots. This information will help us make improvements to the website. 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. A man was washed overboard from one of the escorting destroyers but was not recovered. 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. Description. The National Maritime Museum holds the registers (see below). You might also find information about an officer by searching the records of ordinary merchant seamen. They subsequently sailed on convoy WS 17. She left on 3rd of August with four other troop ships and three ships carrying military equipment still as part of convoy WS 9B. research. If you have any unwanted The third statement, quite surprising, from W. Orr, is missing from the official records although he is listed as giving evidence to the inquiry into Matty Towers death. Back to Search Results Veterans History Project Service Summary: War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945 Branch of Service: Merchant Marine Unit of Service: SS George W. Lively; SS George Sters; SS James Hyram Walker; SS War Bonnet Location of Service: Atlantic; Pacific; Normandy, France; Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Guam (Mariana Islands) Highest Rank: Active Boatswain Birth, Marriage & Death, including Parish ; Military ; Wills & Probate ; Immigration & Travel ; Schools, Directories & Church Histories ; Public Member Trees ; . 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 ships formed up with the Clyde contingent for convoy WS 16 west of Orsay on the 17th. The Consolidation of the Arabian Territories around Najd (1918-1926) 12. The cards are presented in alphabetical order by ship's name. 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. recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. On August 26, 1939, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) took control of all shipping. 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 Navy seamen in service since 1918, About our Other ways to find service records. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. Awarded for service in the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea or the Indian Ocean between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. Our first night there we had doors for beds. Domestic and Foreign Policy (1945-1958) 17. However, it was still important to record the movements of merchant vessels and so the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen established this series of cards, now held by The National Archives in series BT 389. Archives, Open Government Licence The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers and the free to access part of the website is funded by donations from our visitors. Members Featured Photos by AJ Hawker Tankers-At Sea or in Rivers 2468 photos 4219 comments by AJ Hawker Cargo Ships---Engines midships 2392 photos 4199 comments by Russ Kennedy Tugs-Icebreaker & Research & Supply 955 photos 1720 comments by Gary L Tankers-At Sea or in Rivers 2468 photos 09:00 to 17:00. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 261046 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. Operational and non-operational service may be counted, providing that it was of 28 days or more duration. Despite the fact that merchant crews were not compelled to sail on the dangerous ocean passages, most indeed did. Not all changes in ships names are logged on the cards and in such cases it will be necessary to obtain the ships official number (not usually recorded on the cards) and check against that number for all possible name changes. The two Ellerman ships City of Lincoln and City of Edinburgh had to return to Liverpool and the Clyde because cargo had shifted. However, service was considered military in nature for those who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946. AB. This information will help us make improvements to the website. If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. Tragically, 30,248 merchant seamen lost their lives during World War Two, a death rate proportionally higher than in any of the armed forces. Search The Gazette for lists of masters and mates who passed officer examinations. There was also no minimum qualifying period if service was terminated due to death or disability while on active duty. This information will help us make improvements to the website. Robert Malcolm Barber MV Patella (d.16th Feb 1944). 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. Many thousands of POWs died there. In early 1945, in the face of advancing British forces, the camp was evacuated, and we were marched to Marlag und Milag Nord, from where I was later repatriated. The card entries do not all start or end at the same time. the Armed Forces Memorial roll of honour. 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. The world has been led by intensive and extensive waves of darkness from renaissance all the way down to the Covid crisis. Visit the Crew List Index Project (CLIP) website, which has information about merchant seamen on British registered ships from 1861 to 1913. Conditions on the raider were passable, but the prison ship was deplorable. The Lloyd Captains Registers were compiled from the records of certificates issued to foreign-going masters. If you are ordering more than one record for seamen with similar names, you should check if their records are on the same page. Generally the qualifying service period for the Burma Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Those giving evidence included J. Cornwall M.N. You can find out whether a medal was issued by looking at the markings on the records. On the 18th the weather worsened to force 6 with a rough sea and short, heavy swell with poor visibility. Due to the multifaceted nature of the Merchant Marine, we are very grateful to obtain this collection in order to provide clarity to their service," said Theresa Fitzgerald, Along with this new series have come some new experiences. These records are digitised cards recording the movements of British and Allied merchant ships during the Second World War. 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. These entries record a single voyage during which the seaman was engaged on a particular ship. This was simply a record of the. There was no minimum time qualification for a Merchant Seaman. The T124T records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on tugs. Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records. Alternatively, search The National Archives Library to see what is available to consult at Kew. The National Archives' catalogue Catalogue description Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Database of World War II Medals issued to Merchant Seamen Search within or browse this series to find. It sank many submarines, but it also lost a large number of warships. World War Two 1939-1945 - Archives New Zealand Skip to main content Our reading rooms are open. Records we hold This website Search Whilst it is only short, it gives a vivid account of life on board ship as a RA gunner during WW2. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Coast Guard Nav Bouy Patrols in Pacific 1964 Ship name Grisham. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. Fort Pepperrell was in St. John's and many American servicemen were to resident in the capital city.