Operational and non-operational service may be counted, providing that it was of 28 days or more duration. What are these records? The library does have collections of books, dealing with . All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for Ruth Mcmillen. "Along with this new series have come some new experiences. If anyone knows of my father, Captain Len Chapman I will be pleased to hear! To determine eligibility for a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD Form 214, or a Report of Casualty, DD Form 1300, customers will be directed to to, View the National Archives Operating Status. recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. There have been times when I've thought about the few months of kindness and friendliness shown by Frau Wilmbrock and her family in the village of Kirch, where I and fellow Stalag X-B prisoner Jock Reid worked their farm. If a seaman is not listed, it may be because they have not claimed their medal entitlement. After a change of orders she eventually left the Clyde with escorts on 30th June. For each officer registers provide: Look for a certificate entry in theregisters of certificates (they are arranged by certificate number) listed below. research. Search 5: service details of Merchant Navy cooks 1913-1956 This is a search in record series BT 319. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. Monarch of Bermuda sailed for Suez with an estimated 2,200 troops on board on 28th June in company with seven other ships and escorted by the destroyers HMS Reading and Piorun (Polish). Woodman here relates the Merchant Navy's colourful history and brings to life the day-to-day experiences of the seamen. To view all records for an individual, select 'ALL' in the Service box. In themerchant navy the term officer can refer to a master, mate, engineer, fishing boat skipper, second hand or cook. Some of the seamen discharged during this period. v3.0. On the 23rd November the convoy was ordered to split into slow and fast convoys. 1939-1950. Despite the fact that merchant crews were not compelled to sail on the dangerous ocean passages, most indeed did. On 5th July when she was 300 miles astern of convoy WS 9B she was torpedoed by U-96 under Capt. Voyages in the registers were usually recorded either as: Home trade voyages (repeated or reported voyages). 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, Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. Records we hold This website Search Like this page to receive our updates. Monarch of Bermuda sailed on Christmas Eve for Liverpool via Trinidad arriving back on 21st January 1942. 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. On the 18th the weather worsened to force 6 with a rough sea and short, heavy swell with poor visibility. A register entry for a foreign trade voyage, from BT 124. 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. There was also no minimum qualifying period if service was terminated due to death or disability while on active duty. 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. Registration of cooks in the Merchant Navy began on 30 June 1908. This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. Awarded for service between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943, serving in the Mediterranean. are also recorded at the top of the card.From left to right, the six columns on the card will tell you: You can search the records in Discovery, our catalogue, by using thesearch boxbelow. Unfortunately, all their hard work diverting troops and stores came to nothing because Singapore fell into Japanese hands. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. 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. 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 convoy arrived in Freetown on 1st March. The database includes every British registered ship from 1855 to the early 1950s with official numbers 1 to 200000. Awarded for service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. 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. Ronnie stayed with the Merchant Navy during the war and was torpedoed off the east coast of the USA at some point. heavily illustrated book presents the details of those ships and describes the fate of those lost between 1939 and 1945. Visit The National Archives bookshop for a range of publications on the Merchant Navy. 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. He signed up in 1915 at the age of 18. Each set of cards records: The cards also show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk. Canada's air support was crucial throughout the war. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. 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 often slow-moving shipsand the civilian merchant mariners who maneuvered themwere easy targets for enemy fire. Consult series BT 140 for details. Use the name indexes (indicated below in brackets) to locate a certificate number. 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(). 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. In the Merchant Navy there is a requirement that the 28 days should have been served at sea. Show all records. It lists nearly 24,000 Welsh merchant masters, mates and engineers who were active between 1800 and 1945. Military ; Card Catalog ; Member Search ; DNA. 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. All surviving agreements and crew lists with their logbooks are held by The National Archives, . 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. You can also search: the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. Some idea of the danger awaiting convoys is given by the following story. E. A. Huntbatch SS Orama (d.15th July 1941), Fireman James Gilbert Goodwin S.S. San Casto (London). He died on 21st Aug 1973. By 1878, Canada was the fourth largest ship-owning nation in the world, with a merchant fleet of 7,200 vessels. This series contains records of Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. 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. 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. Robert Malcolm Barber MV Patella (d.16th Feb 1944). As fast as they drew up new convoy plans, the instructions would change. Archives, Open Government Licence These were to be my grandfather's final words on earth. Although the design of this website looks rather old-fashioned, it's still updated and is a good resource for Welsh Merchant Navy records. At 5.10 p.m. he was assigned A.R.P. A merchant seaman could qualify after six months service with at least one voyage in an operational area. Results 1-2 of 2 View Record Name . Medals were not automatically issued, but had to be claimed by the merchant seaman. An incomplete set of captains registers is available on microfilm in The National Archives reading rooms. Order records to view when you visit. The official record of these two mens' deaths falls so short of telling the whole story. Most of the casualties were considered to have been killed by the explosion and subsequent flooding in No. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. Index record for Merchant, Leslie Arthur in the World War II Index to Allied Airmen Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 from Ancestry.com, historical military records. 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. 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. card and his grey suit jacket. The ships formed up with the Clyde contingent for convoy WS 16 west of Orsay on the 17th. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration He said he always craved the soil under his boots. 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. Merchant ship movement card (catalogue reference: BT 389). There was no minimum time qualification for a Merchant Seaman. A register entry for home trade voyages, from BT 126. Owners and gross tonnage (G.T.) Search indexes to crew lists from 1861 to 1913 by name on findmypast (). The story was hand written and falling apart but I have typed it up for preservation. A man was washed overboard from one of the escorting destroyers but was not recovered. When he talked to my Grandad he was told that he had a bad headache. In 1939 the Admiralty instructed the Board of Trade, for reasons of. As the U-boat is forced to hide beneath the surface of the sea a cat- . This guide will help you find and interpret records of Merchant Navy officers from 1845 to 1965. The card entries do not all start or end at the same time. 3rd Radio Off. 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. 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. (BSLOC_2013_11_114) Everett Collection Mary Evans","spans":[{"start":0,"end":131,"type":"em"}]}]}}],"metaTitle":null,"metaOgTitle":null,"metaDescription":null,"metaOgDescription":null,"metaCanonical":null,"addNoIndexTag":null,"_meta":{"__ref":"PrismicMeta:XgIZ8RAAACEA9U7G"}}},"TrustpilotTrustScore:4bdc84ff000064000505d022":{"__typename":"TrustpilotTrustScore","id":"4bdc84ff000064000505d022","trustScore":3.8},"PrismicRelatedDocument:XgIaTRAAACEA9VB8":{"__typename":"PrismicRelatedDocument","id":"XgIaTRAAACEA9VB8","lang":"en-us","type":"article-page-1939","uid":"the-merchant-navy"},"PrismicRelatedDocument:XgIaGBAAACEA9U96":{"__typename":"PrismicRelatedDocument","id":"XgIaGBAAACEA9U96","lang":"en-au","type":"article-page-1939","uid":"the-merchant-navy"},"PrismicRelatedDocument:XgIaORAAACIA9VAa":{"__typename":"PrismicRelatedDocument","id":"XgIaORAAACIA9VAa","lang":"en-ie","type":"article-page-1939","uid":"the-merchant-navy"},"PrismicMeta:XgIZ8RAAACEA9U7G":{"__typename":"PrismicMeta","id":"XgIZ8RAAACEA9U7G","firstPublicationDate":"2019-12-24T14:00:46+0000","lastPublicationDate":"2019-12-24T14:00:46+0000","alternateLanguages":[{"__ref":"PrismicRelatedDocument:XgIaTRAAACEA9VB8"},{"__ref":"PrismicRelatedDocument:XgIaGBAAACEA9U96"},{"__ref":"PrismicRelatedDocument:XgIaORAAACIA9VAa"}]}},"pathname":"/1939register/the-merchant-navy","publicPath":"/titan/dist/","browser":{"name":"Safari","fullVersion":"15.5","majorVersion":"15","osName":"Mac OS","isBot":false}}, Discover the sailors in your family history with the 1939 Register. Much of the information would have come from the Royal Navy. 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. Below is the last movement card for the SS Athenia. Welcome to the The British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus. The T124T records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on tugs. 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. 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). Fireman. 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! You do not have to fill in all fields to search. 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. The Crew List Index Project (CLIP) offers a searchable index of ships by official number. They subsequently sailed on convoy WS 17. 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. She left on 3rd of August with four other troop ships and three ships carrying military equipment still as part of convoy WS 9B. The less said about our stay at Drancy the better. The ship left Suez on 27th August via Port Sudan to load commercial cargo at Mombasa for Capetown and the UK. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. 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. This information will help us make improvements to the website. Sanitary arrangements were, as usual, inadequate. I believe, SS Port Sydney also survived the war so, I am uncertain on which ship Ronnie was serving when torpedoed. 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. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. 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. You can search ()the records in Discovery, our catalogue, by filling in the form below. 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, . ","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. (BSLOC_2013_11_114) Everett Collection Mary Evans. The cards give the name of a ship and details of its movements, namely, the ports at which it docked, and passage between ports. A certificate came with a number (and new numbers were assigned if a replacement certificate was issued following the loss of the original). Generally the qualifying service period for the Italy Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Before 1747 no formal record keeping of crews on merchant ships existed. 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. Results 1-9 of 9 View Record Name Birth Date; View Record. Women also sometimes served at sea in the Merchant Navy. Generally the qualifying service period for the Burma Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Increased Centralization and the Ikhwan Movement (1926-1934) 13. The Lloyd Captains Registers were compiled from the records of certificates issued to foreign-going masters. A silver rose on the ribbon bar signifies the award of a bar. What ship was Admiral Harold Stark on during D-Day? The movement control staff in Durban were receiving signals from London changing the instructions for the destinations of the various troops. Records of people younger than 100 and still alive, or who died after 1991 are officially closed. On being examined by the ship's surgeon life was found to be extinct. When the war began, Canada had 38 ocean-going merchant vessels. 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?). Against J. 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. Inicio; FAQ's; Biblioteca; Ayuda; Bsqueda avanzada; Comentarios/sugerencias . 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. MO has 20th Century military records for discharged and deceased veterans. 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. You can search for ships official numbers through the Crew List Index Project. 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. The date commemorates the sinking of the first British merchant ship in 1939, just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. You might also find information about an officer by searching the records of ordinary merchant seamen. The two Ellerman ships City of Lincoln and City of Edinburgh had to return to Liverpool and the Clyde because cargo had shifted. Results 1-4 of 4 View Record Name Birth Date; 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). Awarded for service in the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea or the Indian Ocean between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. 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. 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 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. In these instances the cards have been separated and placed alphabetically according to the name shown without a deletion. We landed in Bordeaux a few weeks later and were taken to the prison camp Caserne Colonial Bordeaux. . Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records. 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. 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. 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. 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. Their targets now travel in convoys, fiercely guarded by Royal Navy destroyers, and when contact is finally made the hunters rapidly become the hunted. Search and download () records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen (BT 395). Instead, these details were recorded on movements cards held and maintained at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. Edit Search New Search. In the top left corner of the record is the ships name. SA. On August 26, 1939, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) took control of all shipping. At this point the body of Matthew Towers A.B. The Atlantic Star was also awarded to those awarded a gallantry medal, with no minimum qualifying period. Willenbrock. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for ae. Records 1939 - 1946. Records of Royal Naval Reserve ratings in service between 1914 -1955 are available online atwww.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/royal-naval-reserve-service-records.htm. The swell was of considerable height and the ships became almost unmanageable and steering had to be assisted by engines. 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. Anyone who qualified for both the France & Germany Star and the Atlantic Star would be awarded the first Star earned, with a Clasp. William Gibb and Sgt Fox found my Grandad's body in the South West corner of the West Huskisson dock. Wafer it states "he failed to re-join ship" and for M. Towers it reads "died as result of accident". Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. Records of Merchant Navy from other sources. 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. Some are at TNA, while a few are held by theNational Maritime Museum. This information will help us make improvements to the website. One statement indicates he fell forward unhindered over the gun deck another says he staggered, gripped a rail and fell backwards to his death. 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. As well as the registers of certificates of competency for engineers at The National Archives (in series BT 139, see above), the National Maritime Museum holds registers for the following years and certificate numbers: The National Maritime Museum holds the registers, bearing numbers 5001-41021 (reference RSS/CO/1-6). 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. These records are digitised cards recording the movements of British and Allied merchant ships during the Second World War. Medals and awards Refer to our research guides: Campaign and service medals Australian military honours and awards Where to look for photographs