Whilst it is only short, it gives a vivid account of life on board ship as a RA gunner during WW2. 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. This meant that Monarch of Bermuda with eight other liners and the cruiser HMS Royal Sovereign increased speed from 13 knots to 16 knots. 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. In 1939, a third of the world's merchant ships were British, and there were some 200,000 sailors. Here's some details: Full Name: Harold Dowle Born: 7th June 1911 I have a card with a discharge A number in the name of H Dowle of 714335 for 12/7/1938 on a ship called Lornaston (148881) from Liverpool. 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. Royal Australian Navy History, WWII Merchant ship movement records - Australia; Ron Wylie, Australian merchant navy: stories of the war at sea Background information. (6th June 1944 - 8th May 1945). Then, as European-built iron-hulled sailing ships replaced wooden square-riggers, Canadian shipbuilders found it harder to compete. 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. Even if a person had several mentions, he would only have one emblem. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Our first night there we had doors for beds. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. On 28th of May 1943 he was buried in El Alia Cemetery Algiers. Seamen's records ('pouches') are in: BT 372, Crew agreements and log books are in: BT 380, Coast trade crew agreements and log books are in: BT 381, Fifth Register of Seaman's Service is in: BT 382, Crew agreements and log books for requisitioned or chartered Allied foreign ships are in: BT 387, Special Operations Records, merchant seamen, are in: BT 391, Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, 1872-1992, Have you found an error with this catalogue description? USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Unfortunately, many cards contain a lot of abbreviations and there is no known key for them. Want to know what life was like during the War? Nortraship. 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. 1.30 a.m. Friday 14th of May 1943 Jim Wafer was seen apparently asleep in Seaman Gunners Quarters by Able Seaman Stanley Poole. Monarch of Bermuda arrived in Durban 30th July and carried out repairs. We weren't sorry to leave there in a cattle truck three days later, when we were taken to Drancy Prison in Paris. The T124T records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on tugs. 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. Registers were created to record the awarding of these certificates to officers and what they had done to qualify for them. Search The Gazette for lists of masters and mates who passed officer examinations. The image you order will usually come with a number of medal records for other seamen. 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. If they appear on the same page, you should only pay one fee. SA. 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. First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve recordscan also beaccessed online. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. I hope to also take a digital diary when it is finished to the Arctic Convoy Museum at Loch Ewe. Germany turned submarines, battleships, aircraft and mines on Britains supply lines, while British and American shipyards worked tirelessly to replace those ships that were sunk. was taken ashore by the military authorities for burial. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources. On 5th July when she was 300 miles astern of convoy WS 9B she was torpedoed by U-96 under Capt. The world has been led by intensive and extensive waves of darkness from renaissance all the way down to the Covid crisis. The men went to their boats in an orderly and quiet manner. Records we hold This website 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. He died on 21st Aug 1973. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 These entries record a single voyage during which the seaman was engaged on a particular ship. Matthew Towers was 48 years old when he lost his life. Each set of cards records: The cards also show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk. On August 26, 1939, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) took control of all shipping. *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. From 10.00 a.m. 11.00 p.m. he was seen on his rounds attending to blackout by J. Lowe. The trip back to Liverpool was via Durban, Capetown, Trinidad and Halifax. card and his grey suit jacket. During the war this fleet underwent tremendous expansion as Canadian shipyards produced 403 merchant vessels. 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! Contents Part Two 11. 1 With only two decades since the ending of the Great War most serving shipmasters would have been at sea during . Visit the Crew List Index Project (CLIP) website, which has information about merchant seamen on British registered ships from 1861 to 1913. ","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Main image:Allied convoy crossing the North Atlantic in 1942 during World War 2. There was no minimum time qualification for a Merchant Seaman. For skippers and mates of fishing boats, registers of certificates of competency are in BT 129and registers of certificates of service are in BT 130 (index in BT 138). Inicio; FAQ's; Biblioteca; Ayuda; Bsqueda avanzada; Comentarios/sugerencias . The poster shows an ultra-realistic drawing with a coxswain at a ship's wheel, and an officer with binoculars drawn by Charles Wood. This information will help us make improvements to the website. 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. 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 This guide will help you find and interpret records of Merchant Navy officers from 1845 to 1965. Merchant Navy ships' records: crew lists, musters and log books - The Helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by : s.n., between 1939 and 1940) AWM call number: 387.5071094 M554; Online. Merchant Marine Records Document Maritime Service Show all records.
I was held in Stalag X-B for two years, and I will never forget that smell it lingered constantly. First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve records can also be accessed online. Maurice John Case MBE: 20 . 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. Merchant Navy in the Second World War 1939-1945 - Wartime Memories Project The ship turned out to be a disguised German raider. I remember him telling me that he was actually on his first day of a period of survivors leave when D Day commenced. You may be searching for a ship on dates before or after movement cards were in use on that vessel. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. v3.0. How to find Merchant Navy records - Who Do You Think You Are Magazine . The medals were claimed and issued from 1946 to 2002. Anyone who qualified for both the Pacific Star and the Burma Star would be awarded the first Star earned. Most of the prisoners, including myself, were sent from Drancy to concentration camps. The Miramar ship index can be useful for obtaining this information. Most of the masters and mates were from West Wales. The official record of these two mens' deaths falls so short of telling the whole story. He signed up in 1915 at the age of 18. 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. Merchant seamen who were discharged from the navy between 1940 and 1972 had their records filed in what became known as 'seamen's pouches'. giving a true reflection as to when the name-change was made. A microfiche index to their holdings is kept by TNA. Records include photos, honours, service files and death records. These entries do not simply record a single voyage, but a half year (January to June or July to December) during which the seaman was engaged on a particular ship. This collection records the movements of ships ordinarily engaged in foreign going trade. The ship left Suez on 27th August via Port Sudan to load commercial cargo at Mombasa for Capetown and the UK. 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. (M.N. Consult series BT 128 for details. 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 If you have any unwanted The date commemorates the sinking of the first British merchant ship in 1939, just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. 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?). Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. This information will help us make improvements to the website. Instead, these details were recorded on movements cards held and maintained at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. You can search ()the records in Discovery, our catalogue, by filling in the form below. To view all records for an individual, select 'ALL' in the Service box. It was the Knights of Columbus Hostel on Harvey Road which was frequently used by the servicemen. The History Of Saudi Arabia [PDF] [46hijsi6afh0] - vdoc.pubMerchantmen at War Official Story of Merchant Navy 1939 - 1944 E. A. Huntbatch SS Orama (d.15th July 1941), Fireman James Gilbert Goodwin S.S. San Casto (London). Merchant navy defence courses: general information ([Melbourne? Anyone who qualified for both the France & Germany Star and the Atlantic Star would be awarded the first Star earned, with a Clasp. Genealogical enquiriesshould be made in writing and search fees are 30. The Canadian Merchant Marine had only forty-one ocean-going merchant ships at the outbreak of the Second World War. The library does have collections of books, dealing with . Search for the National Maritime Museums records of master and mate certificates (1850-1927) on Ancestry.co.uk (). If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. MERCHANT NAVY SEAMAN'S SEA SERVICE RECORDS Sea Service Records . Many were singing songs while the boats were being lowered. Awarded for service in the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea or the Indian Ocean between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. Archives, Open Government Licence Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. The registers follow a similar format to Registers of Seamen Tickets in BT 113. AB. A merchant seaman could qualify after six months service with at least one voyage in an operational area. Thomas Andrew "Tots" Storey (d.7th Sep 1940), L/Bdr Norman Power Maritime Regiment Royal Artillery. They do not contain details of any passengers or crew. 2. 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).
