merchant navy records 1939 to 1945

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. Welcome to the The British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus. to help with the costs of keeping the site running. 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). 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. 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. ", JEng. ","spans":[]}]}},{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceImage","type":"slice-image","primary":{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceImagePrimary","image":{"dimensions":{"width":1200,"height":742},"alt":"Black and white photo of a group of officers on the SS City of Manila, a cargo steamer of the Ellerman City Line","copyright":"Mary Evans/Pharcide","url":"https://images.prismic.io/findmypast-titan/16661bfe-a635-4d82-a616-66a6b14d10d7_group-photo-officers-of-ss-city-of-manila-a-cargo-steamer-of-the-ellerman-city-line-sunk-in-the-atlantic-by-a-german-torpedo-in-1942-with-just-one-crew-member-lost-mary-evans-pharcide.jpg?auto=compress,format"},"caption":"Group photo, officers of SS City of Manila, a cargo steamer of the Ellerman City Line, sunk in the Atlantic by a German torpedo in 1942, with just one crew member lost. 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. My name was and still is on the wall of remembrance in the Mission to Seaman in South Shields. If you have any unwanted 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?). E. A. Huntbatch SS Orama (d.15th July 1941), Fireman James Gilbert Goodwin S.S. San Casto (London). 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 details are in an appendix entitled An Alphabetical List of all the Masters and Mates in the Merchant Service. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. They were first recorded on board vessels in port from 1851 (1861 for Scotland) and from 1861 measures were taken to record mariners at sea. You might also find information about an officer by searching the records of ordinary merchant seamen. 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. A merchant seaman could qualify after six months service with at least one voyage in an operational area. The Atlantic Star was also awarded to those awarded a gallantry medal, with no minimum qualifying period. Archives, Open Government Licence The British Merchant Navy was the largest in the world and required more crew than Great Britain had merchant seamen, as a result large numbers of Indian, Chinese and West African seamen were engaged to crew ships which regularly traded from Great Britain to ports in those areas. On 1 September 1939 this passenger liner set sail from Glasgow with over 1400 passengers and crew aboard. 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. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. Order records to view when you visit. When they reached Aden on 15th August the convoy was disbanded. Conversely, it was fortunate that fair weather allowed the rescue of 80 per cent of the total on board. Edit Search New Search. 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. 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. How do I find out where my uncle was stationed during his stint in the Navy? 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. In May 1943 S.S. Samaria was in West Huskisson dock at my grandfather's home port of Liverpool. These were to be my grandfather's final words on earth. Search All Records ; . 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. ConsultBT 122-126and BT 128 (index in BT 127). You may be searching for a ship on dates before or after movement cards were in use on that vessel. Our first night there we had doors for beds. If a seaman is not listed, it may be because they have not claimed their medal entitlement. v3.0, the day by day movements of the ship (in Athenias case the final entry records her sinking), anticipated movements, i.e. Most of the casualties were considered to have been killed by the explosion and subsequent flooding in No. 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. Monarch of Bermuda embarked 2,287 troops and was one of ten liners in this convoy which eventually sailed on 12th November. For example, MacDonald will not appear under the letter M but under D. I remember him telling me about runs to Malta and how soldiers shouldn't have been on ships. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for Ruth Mcmillen. 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. Then, as European-built iron-hulled sailing ships replaced wooden square-riggers, Canadian shipbuilders found it harder to compete. The cards give the name of a ship and details of its movements, namely, the ports at which it docked, and passage between ports. v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Merchant Navy ships records: movement cards 1939-1945, Friends of The National - Merchant Navy during the Second World War -. Monarch of Bermuda left Durban on 24th March and returned to Liverpool via Cape Town and Freetown arriving back on 23rd April. Some copies of the latter have been digitized and put online by theMaritime History Archivein Canada. A Clasp would be worn to signify service for the other Star. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence My mum told me that he did serve. 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. His brother Francis David Short was in the First War but I have no details on his service. 1 With only two decades since the ending of the Great War most serving shipmasters would have been at sea during . . U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945; . 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(). 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. ). To view all records for an individual, select 'ALL' in the Service box. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from IWM collections Menu. If you don't have an account please register. 1.30 a.m. Friday 14th of May 1943 Jim Wafer was seen apparently asleep in Seaman Gunners Quarters by Able Seaman Stanley Poole. She left on 3rd of August with four other troop ships and three ships carrying military equipment still as part of convoy WS 9B. AncestryDNA Activate a Kit ; AncestryDNA Learning Hub ; What's Included in Your Results ; . British seamen who served under the T124X agreement; British seamen who served under the T124T agreement; Non-British seamen who served under the T124X agreement. 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: Dad signed off the ship on 8th May. Archives, Open Government Licence Using testimony from new witnesses and hitherto undisclosed public records, he seeks to explain why they were reported missing: believed killed. The British Merchant Navy fleet was the largest in the world in 1939 and around 185,000 men served in it during the Second World War. Canada's air support was crucial throughout the war. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. The Wartime Memories Project is a non profit organisation run by volunteers. Below is the last movement card for the SS Athenia. 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. They subsequently sailed on convoy WS 17. ","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. Each set of cards records: The cards also show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk. Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. He listed drowning as the probable cause of death. Art . However, service was considered military in nature for those who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946. First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve recordscan also beaccessed online. The Miramar ship index can be useful for obtaining this information. Woodman here relates the Merchant Navy's colourful history and brings to life the day-to-day experiences of the seamen. The Guildhall Library does not hold crew lists. In the Merchant Navy there is a requirement that the 28 days should have been served at sea. Instead, these details were recorded on movements cards held and maintained at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. 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. 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. These records come from The National Archives' record series BT112, BT113, BT114, BT115, BT116, BT119 and BT120. Samaria sailed out of Liverpool on Friday 14th of May 1943 and was on the Clyde Monday 17th of May. 1939-1950. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources. 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 ship Adrastus had to heave-to to secure cargo which had come adrift and didnt catch up with the convoy until three days later. "Service in the Merchant Marine was considered civilian service under several different civilian personnel agencies. 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. Nortraship. The date commemorates the sinking of the first British merchant ship in 1939, just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. The registers survive at TNA in BT 120, BT 112, BT 113, BT 114, BT 116 and BT 119. At 8.00 a.m. Matty Towers looked in his bunk and then reported Grandad missing to the Bosun, J. Hynes. 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. If anyone knows of my father, Captain Len Chapman I will be pleased to hear! 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. This information will help us make improvements to the website. Merchant ship movement card (catalogue reference: BT 389). These records have only been held at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. IWM collections. Military ; Card Catalog ; Member Search ; DNA. The convoy arrived in Freetown on 1st March. During the one-way exchange of fire (the raider kept of range), Able Seaman George Smith was seriously injured and the third engineer, Mr. Gibson, and the steward, Mr. Gernardt, were killed. Some of these records are alsoavailable on the subscription websitewww.findmypast.co.uk. However the majority are held by the Maritime History Archive. 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). The certificate number obtained from the index indicates: Certificate numbers with a letter(s) prefix NWS were issued in the colonies. There was also no minimum qualifying period if service was terminated due to death or disability while on active duty. For information on how to order an Official Military Personnel File for a veteran who separated from service before 1957, . Service Number . Index record for Ryan, John McMahon in the World War II Index to Allied Airmen Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 from Ancestry.com, historical military records. There were still some men on the after deck, but could not see if they had jumped clear before the ship sank. At first it was voluntary and applied only to foreign-going vessels. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. Shortly after, Samaria set sail for Algiers via the River Clyde, Glasgow. A silver rose on the ribbon bar signifies the award of a bar. He said he always craved the soil under his boots. privacy policy, Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. If they appear on the same page, you should only pay one fee. At 7.05 p.m. Matthew Towers A.B. 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. Don Fraser, "'Men of a service . 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. photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. 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. Another brother Thomas was in the British Army. Look at the websites of other archives and organisations which hold agreements and crew lists, including the Maritime History Archive in Newfoundland, the National Maritime Museum, the National Records of Scotland, the National Archives of Ireland, and local archives. During that period the ship may have been on several voyages, and he may have been engaged for some or all of the period. The often slow-moving shipsand the civilian merchant mariners who maneuvered themwere easy targets for enemy fire. Awarded for service between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945, in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. Most of the prisoners, including myself, were sent from Drancy to concentration camps. 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. Generally the qualifying service period for the Burma Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Anyone who qualified for both the Pacific Star and the Burma Star would be awarded the first Star earned. 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.

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