The official records state the purser took possession of his discharge book, his I.D. In the longest campaign of the war, the British merchant fleet, with its naval escorts, struggled to bring food, fuel, equipment and raw materials from America and elsewhere across the Atlantic,. 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: Digital copies of Merchant shipping movement cards 1939-1945 can be searched and downloaded. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. By now the United States had entered the war and Japanese forces were invading Malaya. 09:00 to 17:00. The passage to Durban took longer than anticipated because the route diverted to sail closer to the African coast and the convoy speed dropped to 6.1/2 knots to enable the RN escorts to rendezvous with a tanker for refuelling at Point Noire. The cards record the movements of both British-registered and Allied vessels engaged in the war effort. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. How do I find out where my uncle was stationed during his stint in the Navy? Many were singing songs while the boats were being lowered. These records were compiled at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. Become a Member Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Monarch of Bermuda embarked 2,287 troops and was one of ten liners in this convoy which eventually sailed on 12th November. 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. 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). You need to sign in to tag. The contents of the records vary, but they usually include name, age, place of birth, register ticket, ship names, and dates of voyages. 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). If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Search and download () records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen (BT 395). A little after 1.30 a.m. the last person to speak to Grandad was Able Seaman M. Towers. ). 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. Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck Evan McGilvray 2020-09-30 This military biography explores Gunner, R. W. Orr D.E.M.S. Royal Australian Navy History, WWII Merchant ship movement records - Australia; Ron Wylie, Australian merchant navy: stories of the war at sea Background information. TNA has detailed research guides on the Fourth and Fifth Registers of Seamen and other records. When the war began, Canada had 38 ocean-going merchant vessels. 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. ","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. 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. Operational and non-operational service may be counted, providing that it was of 28 days or more duration. When they reached Aden on 15th August the convoy was disbanded. v3.0, except where otherwise stated, guide on Merchant seamens medals and honours, World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen, records of merchant seamen serving after 1917, Abbreviations in merchant seamens records, Friends of The National Merchant navy defence courses: general information ([Melbourne? 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). Find out dates of departure and arrival by consulting: Search the alphabetical register (BT 115) on Findmypast () which was compiled from crew lists. A merchant seaman might also qualify serving in operations off the Moroccan coast between 8 November 1942 and 12 May 1943. Some are at TNA, while a few are held by theNational Maritime Museum. 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! Monarch of Bermuda left Durban on 24th March and returned to Liverpool via Cape Town and Freetown arriving back on 23rd April. 1 With only two decades since the ending of the Great War most serving shipmasters would have been at sea during . 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. Our Before 1747 no formal record keeping of crews on merchant ships existed. Some idea of the danger awaiting convoys is given by the following story. A merchant seaman had to serve in the Atlantic, home waters, North Russia Convoys or South Atlantic waters. 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. To find out about a seamans entitlement, contact the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. 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. 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). Inicio; FAQ's; Biblioteca; Ayuda; Bsqueda avanzada; Comentarios/sugerencias . Archives, Open Government Licence Some useful printed works include: The Roll of Honour of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets 1939-1945, 3 vols (London: Ministry of . We also found evidence after 1943 of his return to the Army, promotion to Captain and his service in India, near Karachi. This information will help us make improvements to the website. 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. : s.n., between 1939 and 1940) AWM call number: 387.5071094 M554; Online. Monday, July 16, 1945 o First atomic bomb exploded Heat generated by the blast was 4 times the temperature at the center of the sun Blew out windows in houses more than 200 miles away Killed every living creature within a mile o Ruby Wilkening joined several other women waiting for the blast Worried about her husband who was already at the test site No one knew what to expect o . 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. Read tagging guidelines. Search 5: service details of Merchant Navy cooks 1913-1956 This is a search in record series BT 319. Search The Gazette for lists of masters and mates who passed officer examinations. research. You need to sign in to tag. Archives, Open Government Licence 09:00 to 17:00. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence These records are digitised cards recording the movements of British and Allied merchant ships during the Second World War. Awarded for service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. You can also search: the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. Image: Mary Evans/Pharcide"}},{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceText","type":"slice-text","primary":{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceTextPrimary","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"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 access the records in this section you will either need to visit usor, where you can identify a specific document reference, order a copy(). Much of the information would have come from the Royal Navy. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. AncestryDNA Activate a Kit ; AncestryDNA Learning Hub ; What's Included in Your Results . In general Second World War Royal Naval Reserve officers' records and post 1950 records are held by CN Pers (Commodore Naval Personnel). Merchant Navy Day. 1939-1950. A man was washed overboard from one of the escorting destroyers but was not recovered. During wartime, however, they can become an auxiliary to the United States Navycalled upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military. Woodman here relates the Merchant Navy's colourful history and brings to life the day-to-day experiences of the seamen. . This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The story is called The Jinx. Helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by By 1878, Canada was the fourth largest ship-owning nation in the world, with a merchant fleet of 7,200 vessels. For example, MacDonald will not appear under the letter M but under D. The convoy arrived in Freetown on 1st March. There was also no minimum qualifying period if service was terminated due to death or disability while on active duty. After a change of orders she eventually left the Clyde with escorts on 30th June. Generally awarded if the seaman qualified for one of the Stars. Sanitary arrangements were, as usual, inadequate. Awarded for service between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945, in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. The National Archives' catalogue This record (browse from here by hierarchy or by reference) Catalogue description Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant Seamen's Service. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for Giron. 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 If a ship had a former name this would be written in brackets. Results 1-9 of 9 View Record Name Birth Date; View Record. In some cases, not all the cards relating to a vessel have been amended to reflect the latest name-change. Search and download ( charges apply) records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen (BT 395). 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. 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. Remember, you'll need to show photo ID to be issued with records. Ships & Convoys. The minimum qualifying period was one day. Genealogical enquiries should be made in writing and search fees are 30. 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. LOG BOOKS AND CREW AGREEMENTS 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. The world has been led by intensive and extensive waves of darkness from renaissance all the way down to the Covid crisis. In the eleven months on the ship Dad had spent three months in Liverpool. 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. 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. A single oak leaf emblem attached to the War Medal ribbon denotes a Mention-in-Despatches; the silver oak leaf, a Kings Commendation for Brave Conduct. She left Aden on 21st August and arrived at Suez on 25th August. Owners and gross tonnage (G.T.) Their targets now travel in convoys, fiercely guarded by Royal Navy destroyers, and when contact is finally made the hunters rapidly become the hunted. (M.N. reference to the medal papers file (held at the Registry of Shipping and Seamen), DNA: Director of Naval Accounts (the Royal Navy medal issuing authority) or, more recently, Do Not Authorise, Refer to Aust: the medals were not issued to an individual by the Registry of Shipping but referred on to the Australian authorities, Refer to NZ: the medals were not issued to an individual by the Registry of Shipping but referred on to the New Zealand authorities. The movement control staff in Durban were receiving signals from London changing the instructions for the destinations of the various troops. 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. 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. In themerchant navy the term officer can refer to a master, mate, engineer, fishing boat skipper, second hand or cook. 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. I remember him telling me that he was actually on his first day of a period of survivors leave when D Day commenced. Visit The National Archives bookshop for a range of publications on the Merchant Navy. Generally the qualifying service period for the Pacific Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. ","copyright":"INF13-213 (52)","url":"https://images.prismic.io/findmypast-titan/9794e89f-46cb-4342-8b53-47272a1b0f4b_inf13-213-52-world-war-ii-poster-the-life-line-is-firm-thanks-to-the-merchant-navy.jpg?auto=compress,format"},"caption":"The Life-line Is Firm Thanks To The Merchant Navy Image: INF13-213 (52)"}},{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceText","type":"slice-text","primary":{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceTextPrimary","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"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. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 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).