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. 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. 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. Nortraship. Our first night there we had doors for beds. Each set of cards records: The cards also show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk. 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. At 8.00 a.m. Matty Towers looked in his bunk and then reported Grandad missing to the Bosun, J. Hynes. Generally the qualifying service period for the Italy Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Most of the prisoners, including myself, were sent from Drancy to concentration camps. All were willing and did their best to help abandon ship quickly in the short time available. Conditions on the raider were passable, but the prison ship was deplorable. For Matty Towers the three witness statements into his death are very contradictory. As fast as they drew up new convoy plans, the instructions would change. The National Archives at St. Louis does not provide information for benefits or separation documents, such as DD-214s, for these records. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. Search The Gazette for lists of masters and mates who passed officer examinations. For information on how to order an Official Military Personnel File for a veteran who separated from service before 1957, . 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. She was torpedoed and shelled by the German U-boat U30 without warning, becoming the first merchant vessel casualty of the Second World War. It supported Britain's Bomber Command from 1943 to 1945, contributing a huge strike force. The cards record the movements of both British-registered and Allied vessels engaged in the war effort. Edit Search New Search. 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. 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). These entries record a single voyage during which the seaman was engaged on a particular ship. At 7.05 p.m. Matthew Towers A.B. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. 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. 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. My mum told me that he did serve. 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. The T124T records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on tugs. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from The Consolidation of the Arabian Territories around Najd (1918-1926) 12. 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 world has been led by intensive and extensive waves of darkness from renaissance all the way down to the Covid crisis. Those giving evidence included J. Cornwall M.N. For more information on the Arctic Star and advice on how you can still apply for it, see our guide to Merchant seamans medals and honours. He may have been in the Devon or Dorset Regiment. He said he always craved the soil under his boots. On 28th of May 1943 he was buried in El Alia Cemetery Algiers. 1939-1950. 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! This information will help us make improvements to the website. The convoy would have various naval escorts during the trip which would join and leave as the convoy passed their bases. 3rd Radio Off. We landed in Bordeaux a few weeks later and were taken to the prison camp Caserne Colonial Bordeaux. 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. 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. Shortly after, Samaria set sail for Algiers via the River Clyde, Glasgow. the National Archives. 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. For details of the Arctic Star see our guide to Merchant seamans medals and honours. 3 hold. A microfiche index to their holdings is kept by TNA. He describes why . This section includes over 21.000 Allied Warships and over 11.000 Allied Commanders of WWII, from the US Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, The Polish Navy and others. He died on 21st Aug 1973. He signed up in 1915 at the age of 18. After four months aboard the raider, we were transferred to a prison ship. Most of these men were not born in Asia; many were Egyptian. She left Aden on 21st August and arrived at Suez on 25th August. Many were singing songs while the boats were being lowered. Up to 1854 records are arranged by port and registry number; subsequently by ship's official number. You can search ()the records in Discovery, our catalogue, by filling in the form below. 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. At 6.25 p.m. Wednesday 26th of May 1943 P.C. The funeral for 46 year old Jim Wafer was held on Tuesday 1st of June 1943 at St Dominic's Roman Catholic Church then burial at Ford Cemetery. She was ordered into the Clyde and the 990 RAF and 419 troops on board were going to disembark. Read tagging guidelines. This information will help us make improvements to the website. 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. Friends of The National 1. In general Second World War Royal Naval Reserve officers' records and post 1950 records are held by CN Pers (Commodore Naval Personnel). 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 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). To view all records for an individual, select 'ALL' in the Service box. On August 26, 1939, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) took control of all shipping. 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. MO has 20th Century military records for discharged and deceased veterans. The weather was initially fair but by the 16th November they were in heavy seas in a Force 8 gale which was right on the beam causing the ships to roll heavily. Alternatively, search The National Archives Library to see what is available to consult at Kew. 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. Let us know. Results 1-2 of 2 View Record Name . American Merchant Marine Databases includes: . Want to find out more about your relative's service? He was rescued, repatriated and managed to survive the war. Records of Merchant Navy from other sources. Awarded after the Battle of the Atlantic for service between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945. Military ; Card Catalog ; Member Search ; DNA. The minimum qualifying period was one day. Awarded for service in the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea or the Indian Ocean between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. This is the story of my Grandad, James Wafer and his best friend and shipmate Matty Towers. This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. Edit Search New Search. Then, as European-built iron-hulled sailing ships replaced wooden square-riggers, Canadian shipbuilders found it harder to compete. Many thousands of POWs died there. IWM collections. Some idea of the danger awaiting convoys is given by the following story. Research guide C12: The Merchant Navy: Ship registration and Custom House records; Research guide E1: . At Halifax she embarked American troops to Reykjavik in Iceland and arrived back on 17th October a total journey time of three months. 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. 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. He was torpedoed and sunk twice but fortunately rescued on both occasions. recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. The often slow-moving shipsand the civilian merchant mariners who maneuvered themwere easy targets for enemy fire. Use our guide Abbreviations in merchant seamens records to interpret the records. Merchant mariners or merchant seamen are assigned to vessels that primarily transport cargo and passengers during peacetime. SS Otranto, Capt. Merchant Navy 1939-1945. However the majority are held by the Maritime History Archive. research. Digital copies of Merchant shipping movement cards 1939-1945 can be searched and downloaded. They contain the following information: Search BT 352, a combined index to masters, mates, engineers and fishing officers certificates of competency covering home and foreign trade. Inicio; FAQ's; Biblioteca; Ayuda; Bsqueda avanzada; Comentarios/sugerencias . Monarch of Bermuda sailed on Christmas Eve for Liverpool via Trinidad arriving back on 21st January 1942. 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. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. There was no minimum time qualification for a Merchant Seaman. Arrangements for those who succumbed to seasickness consisted of 40 gallon drums which slid about the deck with unpleasant splashings. Instead, these details were recorded on movements cards held and maintained at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. George Smith died later of his injuries. - Merchant Navy during the Second World War -. This caused miserable conditions throughout the overcrowded and claustrophobic troopdecks. photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. Birth, Marriage & Death, including Parish ; Military ; Wills & Probate ; Immigration & Travel ; Schools, Directories & Church Histories ; Public Member Trees ; . duty by S. Pentith 3rd officer. Generally the qualifying service period for the Pacific Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Main image:Allied convoy crossing the North Atlantic in 1942 during World War 2. Before 1747 no formal record keeping of crews on merchant ships existed. If they appear on the same page, you should only pay one fee. The registers survive at TNA in BT 120, BT 112, BT 113, BT 114, BT 116 and BT 119. Robert Malcolm Barber MV Patella (d.16th Feb 1944). The ship left Suez on 27th August via Port Sudan to load commercial cargo at Mombasa for Capetown and the UK. Tragically, 30,248 merchant seamen lost their lives during World War Two, a death rate proportionally higher than in any of the armed forces. On being examined by the ship's surgeon life was found to be extinct. 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 A man was washed overboard from one of the escorting destroyers but was not recovered. Merchant Navy Day. 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. (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. 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. Archives, Open Government Licence 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. Merchant navy defence courses: general information ([Melbourne? What ship was Admiral Harold Stark on during D-Day? 10thFeb 2023 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. You do not have to fill in all fields to search. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945; . While in Freetown news came through that the Japanese had landed in Java and Batavia and the Dutch East Indies had surrendered which would mean no more convoys to the Far East. 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(). 1.30 a.m. Friday 14th of May 1943 Jim Wafer was seen apparently asleep in Seaman Gunners Quarters by Able Seaman Stanley Poole. For ability and general conduct both men are reported as very good. 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. The date commemorates the sinking of the first British merchant ship in 1939, just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. If a ship had a former name this would be written in brackets. The library does have collections of books, dealing with . On 5th July when she was 300 miles astern of convoy WS 9B she was torpedoed by U-96 under Capt. 09:00 to 17:00. the Armed Forces Memorial roll of honour. research. 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. Modern entries giving wholesale name-changes to a ship's multiple set of cards could not be made to historic 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. 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. 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. v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Merchant Navy ships records: movement cards 1939-1945, Friends of The National You can find more details here. A merchant seaman qualified serving within a restricted area in the Bay of Bengal. Visit the Crew List Index Project (CLIP) website, which has information about merchant seamen on British registered ships from 1861 to 1913. Search and download () records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen (BT 395). Medals were not automatically issued, but had to be claimed by the merchant seaman. For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday The T124X records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on Royal Navy ships (or Royal Navy auxiliary vessels). In Britain, New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries, 3 September is Merchant Navy Day. 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. Our ). When they reached Aden on 15th August the convoy was disbanded. If you don't have an account please register. Monarch of Bermuda embarked 2,287 troops and was one of ten liners in this convoy which eventually sailed on 12th November. 09:00 to 17:00. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources. 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. AncestryDNA Activate a Kit ; AncestryDNA Learning Hub ; What's Included in Your Results ; . If you have any unwanted Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence A certificate came with a number (and new numbers were assigned if a replacement certificate was issued following the loss of the original). Results 1-9 of 9 View Record Name Birth Date; View Record. Monarch of Bermuda arrived in Durban 30th July and carried out repairs. At 5.10 p.m. he was assigned A.R.P. On the 18th the weather worsened to force 6 with a rough sea and short, heavy swell with poor visibility. to help with the costs of keeping the site running. In any case, there might be a legitimate reason why only some cards indicate the latest name, i.e. For service before 1845, when registers of Merchant Navy officers were not kept, you must look for records kept for other purposes (such ascrew lists, agreements and log books) but which may include incidental mention of officers. Dad signed off the ship on 8th May. Records include photos, honours, service files and death records. Awarded for service between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945, in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. Records 1939 - 1946. "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. The Atlantic Star was also awarded to those awarded a gallantry medal, with no minimum qualifying period. MERCHANT NAVY SEAMAN'S SEA SERVICE RECORDS Sea Service Records . (M.N. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Women also sometimes served at sea in the Merchant Navy. 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?). By the 26th of June 1943 the crew of the Samaria had heard of the body of Jim Wafer being found in Liverpool. Wafer it states "he failed to re-join ship" and for M. Towers it reads "died as result of accident". 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. By now the United States had entered the war and Japanese forces were invading Malaya. There were no clasps awarded with the Italy Star.
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