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. Let us know. My mum told me that he did serve. If there is no entry on a card for the early or later part of the war, check the crew lists and agreements in series BT 99, BT 100, BT 380or BT 381which may hold further details. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Monarch of Bermuda sailed on Christmas Eve for Liverpool via Trinidad arriving back on 21st January 1942. The registers survive at TNA in BT 120, BT 112, BT 113, BT 114, BT 116 and BT 119. The cards record the movements of both British-registered and Allied vessels engaged in the war effort. The poster shows an ultra-realistic drawing with a coxswain at a ship's wheel, and an officer with binoculars drawn by Charles Wood. was taken ashore by the military authorities for burial. 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. Description. From 10.00 a.m. 11.00 p.m. he was seen on his rounds attending to blackout by J. Lowe. A little after 1.30 a.m. the last person to speak to Grandad was Able Seaman M. Towers. The steamer Anselm had left Liverpool with Monarch of Bermuda to join convoy WS 9B but hadnt been able to maintain the 12 knots speed. There were no clasps awarded with the Italy Star. 1. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. There was also no minimum qualifying period if service was terminated due to death or disability while on active duty. 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. Archives, Open Government Licence 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). Awarded for service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. When he talked to my Grandad he was told that he had a bad headache. (M.N. These records have only been held at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. United States Merchant . If you don't have an account please register. James Wafer S.S. Samaria (d.14th May 1943) James Wafer started service as an Able Seaman during World War 1 and had survived active service as a teenage merchant man on a ship called Romney. privacy policy, Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant Shipping Movement Cards, Available in digital format unless otherwise stated. He may have been in the Devon or Dorset Regiment. The database includes every British registered ship from 1855 to the early 1950s with official numbers 1 to 200000. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. 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. Object category. 1939-1950. research. Operations in and around the Dodecanese, Corsica, Greece, Sardinia and Yugoslavia after 11 June 1943 would also qualify. Awarded for service between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943, serving in the Mediterranean. Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Ships & Convoys. The card entries do not all start or end at the same time. 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. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. A man was washed overboard from one of the escorting destroyers but was not recovered. On the 18th the weather worsened to force 6 with a rough sea and short, heavy swell with poor visibility. For information on how to order an Official Military Personnel File for a veteran who separated from service before 1957, . Remember, you'll need to show photo ID to be issued with records. 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 Histories of the United States Merchant Marine from 1900 to 2000 Histories of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II (1939 - 1945) World War II Instruction Manuals for Mariners United States Government Reports on the Merchant Marine in World War II Histories of the United States Merchant Marine in the Korean War (1950 - 1953) We also found evidence after 1943 of his return to the Army, promotion to Captain and his service in India, near Karachi. Also some happy times with the Indian Army who were great allies and enjoyed partying English style, as a relief from the war time battles. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for ae. He was torpedoed and sunk twice but fortunately rescued on both occasions. Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck Evan McGilvray 2020-09-30 This military biography explores Despite the fact that merchant crews were not compelled to sail on the dangerous ocean passages, most indeed did. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. 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. When they reached Aden on 15th August the convoy was disbanded. Matthew Towers was 48 years old when he lost his life. She left on 3rd of August with four other troop ships and three ships carrying military equipment still as part of convoy WS 9B. In the indexes, names beginning with Mc or Mac are usually found under the letter following that prefix. Archives, Open Government Licence www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/royal-naval-reserve-service-records.htm, First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve records. These records are digitised cards recording the movements of British and Allied merchant ships during the Second World War. American Merchant Marine Databases includes: . 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. Military ; Card Catalog ; Member Search ; DNA. Modern entries giving wholesale name-changes to a ship's multiple set of cards could not be made to historic records. Much of the information would have come from the Royal Navy. (BSLOC_2013_11_114) Everett Collection Mary Evans. On being examined by the ship's surgeon life was found to be extinct. A silver rose on the ribbon bar signifies the award of a bar. Few if any of the troops had ever crossed the English Channel let alone been exposed to the rigours of the North Atlantic. 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. The swell was of considerable height and the ships became almost unmanageable and steering had to be assisted by engines. A merchant seaman could qualify after six months service with at least one voyage in an operational area. The qualifying service period for the Atlantic Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. The story is called The Jinx. Two days later the Coroner held an inquest into Grandad's death and the verdict was given as unascertainable. 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. ","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. 09:00 to 17:00. the-raf-in-camera-1939-1945 1/11 Downloaded from uniport.edu.ng on March 2, 2023 by guest . 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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. The column on the right of each record contains a reference number to the entitlement file held by the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. The first time a foreign team have ever beaten them! the Armed Forces Memorial roll of honour. 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. For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday Inicio; FAQ's; Biblioteca; Ayuda; Bsqueda avanzada; Comentarios/sugerencias . Other ways to find service records. At first it was voluntary and applied only to foreign-going vessels. 09:00 to 17:00. v3.0. Conditions on the raider were passable, but the prison ship was deplorable. 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. 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. 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). Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. Gunner and T. Moulton Sectionman. Military ; Card Catalog ; Member Search ; DNA. 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. 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. (These were originally described as 'Asian seamen' but that is misleading. Registers were created to record the awarding of these certificates to officers and what they had done to qualify for them. You may be searching for a vesselfor which these cards were never used. Maurice "Ginger" Archer SS Wendover. In the eleven months on the ship Dad had spent three months in Liverpool. Find out dates of departure and arrival by consulting: Search the alphabetical register (BT 115) on Findmypast () which was compiled from crew lists. The first chapter of this books presents the three waves operations of social, political, economic, technological, military and educational aspect of world affairs under the following subjects. 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 Up to 1854 records are arranged by port and registry number; subsequently by ship's official number. This is the story of my Grandad, James Wafer and his best friend and shipmate Matty Towers. photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. 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 By war's end 410 merchant ships had been built in Canada. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from IWM collections Menu. Research guide C12: The Merchant Navy: Ship registration and Custom House records; Research guide E1: . The official records state the purser took possession of his discharge book, his I.D. 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. Most of these men were not born in Asia; many were Egyptian. 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. 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. Most of the prisoners, including myself, were sent from Drancy to concentration camps. All surviving agreements and crew lists with their logbooks are held by The National Archives, . v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Merchant Navy campaign medal records 1939-1945. are on the same page. 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. 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. 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: Saudi Arabia and the Second World War (1939-1945) 16. Awarded for service between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945, in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. Records available only at The National Archives in Kew To access the records in this. At 8.00 a.m. Matty Towers looked in his bunk and then reported Grandad missing to the Bosun, J. Hynes. By 1895, they were essentially out of business. The date commemorates the sinking of the first British merchant ship in 1939, just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. Read tagging guidelines. Find answers to your research questions at, How to File a FOIA Request for Archival Records. Search indexes to crew lists from 1861 to 1913 by name on findmypast (). Royal Australian Navy History, WWII Merchant ship movement records - Australia; Ron Wylie, Australian merchant navy: stories of the war at sea Background information. The 1939-1945 Star was also awarded to recipients of a gallantry medal, with no minimum qualifying period. 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. Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records. At Halifax she embarked American troops to Reykjavik in Iceland and arrived back on 17th October a total journey time of three months. 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. Many years later he wrote a short fictional story about a Maritime Regiment gunner who brought nothing but bad luck. Merchant Navy Day. Generally the qualifying service period for the Burma Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Shortly after, Samaria set sail for Algiers via the River Clyde, Glasgow. Samaria sailed out of Liverpool on Friday 14th of May 1943 and was on the Clyde Monday 17th of May. Awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. For each officer registers provide: Look for a certificate entry in theregisters of certificates (they are arranged by certificate number) listed below. 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. The seamens discharge book numbers are usually listed, and you may find the date and place of birth too. 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). 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. Underneath, the caption reads: `The life-line is firm thanks to the Merchant Navy`. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from Willenbrock. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for Ruth Mcmillen. However, service was considered military in nature for those who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946. It was the Knights of Columbus Hostel on Harvey Road which was frequently used by the servicemen. These entries record a single voyage during which the seaman was engaged on a particular ship. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. Domestic and Foreign Policy (1945-1958) 17. 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. 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. 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. In general Second World War Royal Naval Reserve officers records and post 1950 records are held by CN Pers (Commodore Naval Personnel). The Oil Concessions 15. Merchant seafarers were involved in the Second World War from the first day to the last. However the majority are held by the Maritime History Archive. You do not have to fill in all fields to search. She was ordered into the Clyde and the 990 RAF and 419 troops on board were going to disembark. This series contains records of Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. If you are ordering more than one record for seamen with similar names, you should check if their records are on the same page. We weren't sorry to leave there in a cattle truck three days later, when we were taken to Drancy Prison in Paris. Edit Search New Search. At 7.05 p.m. Matthew Towers A.B. 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 Gunner, R. W. Orr D.E.M.S. Some useful printed works include: The Roll of Honour of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets 1939-1945, 3 vols (London: Ministry of . 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). Add a Name to this List My name was and still is on the wall of remembrance in the Mission to Seaman in South Shields. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. After four months aboard the raider, we were transferred to a prison ship. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence Visit the Crew List Index Project (CLIP) website, which has information about merchant seamen on British registered ships from 1861 to 1913. Have you found an error with this catalogue description? Many thousands of POWs died there. If a ship had a former name this would be written in brackets. I hope to also take a digital diary when it is finished to the Arctic Convoy Museum at Loch Ewe. 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. 1 With only two decades since the ending of the Great War most serving shipmasters would have been at sea during . The series generally contains information about radio equipment . IWM collections. 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. This information will help us make improvements to the website. heavily illustrated book presents the details of those ships and describes the fate of those lost between 1939 and 1945. 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. The National Maritime Museum holds the registers (see below). Before 1747 no formal record keeping of crews on merchant ships existed. Records include photos, honours, service files and death records. (d.13th October 1945), Capt. The ship left Suez on 27th August via Port Sudan to load commercial cargo at Mombasa for Capetown and the UK. A register entry for home trade voyages, from BT 126. Birth, Marriage & Death, including Parish ; Military ; Wills & Probate ; Immigration & Travel ; Schools, Directories & Church Histories ; Public Member Trees ; . Archives, Open Government Licence On the Samaria crew list and report of character, James Wafer and Matty Towers are consecutive number 59 & 60. 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). It lists nearly 24,000 Welsh merchant masters, mates and engineers who were active between 1800 and 1945. Historically many vessels have had their names changed, sometimes on more than one occasion. Generally awarded if the seaman qualified for one of the Stars. A register entry for a foreign trade voyage, from BT 124. These files have joined our collection in an effort to better serve the public who are looking for proof of their ancestor's service, The first block of this series contained 4,800 cubic feet of records, The Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC) is the approving official for World War II Merchant Marine separation documents. card and his grey suit jacket. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence
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