Our All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 To view all records for an individual, select 'ALL' in the Service box. research. Once you have obtained a certificate number from the index in BT 127, consult the table below for the respective record series reference: Certificate numbers with a letter(s) prefix NWS were issued in the colonies. Other ways to find service records. 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. 5 Major problems in my decade - Five Major Problems Canada Faced (Oct Many merchant seamen came from parts of the British Empire, such as India, Hong Kong and west African countries. 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. 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. the intended destination, details of the cargo expected to be collected at the next port of call, the initials of the clerk making the entry and the date it was made, vessels requisitioned for military service. 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. - Merchant Navy during the Second World War -. 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. Crew List Index Project All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 Anyone who qualified for both the France & Germany Star and the Atlantic Star would be awarded the first Star earned, with a Clasp. 09:00 to 17:00. Records of Merchant Navy from other sources. 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. At 5.00 p.m. on Thursday 13th of May 1943, my grandfather Jim reported for duty on troop ship S.S. Samaria to J. Lowe 2nd officer. Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Database of World War II - Archive 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. Want to find out more about your relative's service? I know that during 1939 to 1945 he served on a few Navy ships as an engineering officer RNVR and some time ago I sent a letter to obtain a record of the Naval ships he sailed in. A merchant seaman could qualify after six months service with at least one voyage in an operational area. 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. Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant - Discovery They sailed up the Irish Sea to join with the Clyde portion to form convoy WS 9B. All Web: UK, World War II Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945 results for Giron. "The World's largest shipping company". 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) USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Merchant Navy seamen in service since 1918 - The National Archives Read My Ancestor was a Merchant Seaman by Christopher and Michael Watts (Society of Genealogists, 2002) this title is also available in our shop. There was no minimum time qualification for a Merchant Seaman. Catalogue entries for this series have been enhanced as part of a project supported by volunteers. Results 1-2 of 2 View Record Name . 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. SA. I hope to also take a digital diary when it is finished to the Arctic Convoy Museum at Loch Ewe. By 08.20 both escorts were proceeding at 6 knots towing Anselms empty boats, but as speed increased to 13 knots these gradually broke away and were lost. As the U-boat is forced to hide beneath the surface of the sea a cat- . Operational and non-operational service may be counted, providing that it was of 28 days or more duration. Genealogical enquiries should be made in writing and search fees are 30. The Raf In Camera 1939 1945 .pdf - uniport.edu 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. Find an object | Imperial War Museums 09:00 to 17:00. 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. Second World War, 1939-1945 - Home | Australian War Memorial 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: Merchant ship movement card (catalogue reference: BT 389). The 1939-1945 Star was also awarded to recipients of a gallantry medal, with no minimum qualifying period. These records have only been held at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. Object category. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Coast Guard Nav Bouy Patrols in Pacific 1964 Ship name Grisham. Merchant Navy - Registered Ticket Records - GenGuide Add a Name to this List All surviving agreements and crew lists with their logbooks are held by The National Archives, . www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/royal-naval-reserve-service-records.htm, First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve records. 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 story is called The Jinx. The series generally contains information about radio equipment . Merchant Navy in the Second World War 1939-1945 - Wartime Memories Project He may have been in the Devon or Dorset Regiment. Merchant Navy 1939-1945. ","spans":[]}]}},{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceText","type":"slice-text","primary":{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceTextPrimary","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"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. This enabled them to arrive at Freetown on the 25th for fuelling and water before sailing on 28th for Durban. ","spans":[]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"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. Awarded for service between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943, serving in the Mediterranean. Welcome to the The British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus. Records we hold This website Search The ship turned out to be a disguised German raider. The National Archives' catalogue Catalogue description Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Database of World War II Medals issued to Merchant Seamen Search within or browse this series to find. James Wafer S.S. Samaria (d.14th May 1943). Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. Use the name indexes (indicated below in brackets) to locate a certificate number. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. A certificate came with a number (and new numbers were assigned if a replacement certificate was issued following the loss of the original). Merchant navy defence courses: general information ([Melbourne? Generally awarded if the seaman qualified for one of the Stars. Art . On the 23rd November the convoy was ordered to split into slow and fast convoys. 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. One statement indicates he fell forward unhindered over the gun deck another says he staggered, gripped a rail and fell backwards to his death. 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. From 1845 onwards a system of examinations was introduced for masters and mates. Narrow your search by using double quotation marks to find a ships or persons full name, such as Sydney Star or John Williams. Contents Part Two 11. 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. 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, . Some of these records are alsoavailable on the subscription websitewww.findmypast.co.uk. 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). 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). AncestryDNA Activate a Kit ; AncestryDNA Learning Hub ; What's Included in Your Results ; . The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers and the free to access part of the website is funded by donations from our visitors. You need to sign in to tag. 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). For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday 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. Search 5: service details of Merchant Navy cooks 1913-1956 This is a search in record series BT 319. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. World War II - notes - Monday, July 16, 1945 o First atomic bomb 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 caused miserable conditions throughout the overcrowded and claustrophobic troopdecks. For information on how to order an Official Military Personnel File for a veteran who separated from service before 1957, . The library does have collections of books, dealing with . The British Merchant Navy fleet was the largest in the world in 1939 and around 185,000 men served in it during the Second World War. On being examined by the ship's surgeon life was found to be extinct. Become a Member The poster shows an ultra-realistic drawing with a coxswain at a ship's wheel, and an officer with binoculars drawn by Charles Wood. Information is contained in pouches and includes personal details such as name, age, rank, rating/grade and qualifications, together with details of the vessels on which the individual served. Their targets now travel in convoys, fiercely guarded by Royal Navy destroyers, and when contact is finally made the hunters rapidly become the hunted. The qualifying service period for the Atlantic Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. Remember, you'll need to show photo ID to be issued with records. Ryan, John McMahon in World War II Index to Allied Airmen Roll of The following codes may be found on the record: Markings found on the record may include: The letter R over a code can signify that an application for that medal was reviewed and refused. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. At 8.00 a.m. Matty Towers looked in his bunk and then reported Grandad missing to the Bosun, J. Hynes. In general Second World War Royal Naval Reserve officers' records and post 1950 records are held by CN Pers (Commodore Naval Personnel). The two Ellerman ships City of Lincoln and City of Edinburgh had to return to Liverpool and the Clyde because cargo had shifted. Edward William Quilter Collection | Library of Congress 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. 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. 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. (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. Merchant Navy ships' records: movement cards 1939-1945; Merchant Navy ships' records: registration of merchant ships; Add a tag. Merchant seafarers were involved in the Second World War from the first day to the last. You might also find information about an officer by searching the records of ordinary merchant seamen. How to find Merchant Navy records - Who Do You Think You Are Magazine 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. Against J. Researching Australian military service: Second World War, Merchant You may also like to read ourguide on Merchant seamens medals and honours. Those giving evidence included J. Cornwall M.N. Merchant Marine Records Document Maritime Service The convoy arrived in Durban on 18th December. The official record of these two mens' deaths falls so short of telling the whole story. 1939 194 Yeah, reviewing a book Embleme Wappen Malings Deutscher U Boote 1939 194 could . What are these records? The records are held in alphabetical order by seaman's name . 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. War Casualties and the Merchant Navy | NSW Environment, Energy and Science After five days of normal transportation (i.e., in cattle trucks), we arrived at Bremervorde in northwestern Germany near Bremen, and were then marched several miles to Stalag X-B in Sandbostel, where we were greeted by the stink of death. 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. If they appear on the same page, you should only pay one fee. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 261046 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. 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. 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. You do not have to fill in all fields to search. Gunner, R. W. Orr D.E.M.S. Records of Merchant Navy from other sources. 3 hold. 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(). The War Medal 1939-45 was awarded for 28 days full-time service in the Armed Forces between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. 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. For quick pointersTuesday to Saturday Edit Search New Search. Fireman. British merchant seamen of World War II - Wikipedia A little after 1.30 a.m. the last person to speak to Grandad was Able Seaman M. Towers. Merchant Seaman records sometimes identify a vessel an individual served on only by the Ships' Official Number. Find out dates of departure and arrival by consulting: Search the alphabetical register (BT 115) on Findmypast () which was compiled from crew lists. The column on the right of each record contains a reference number to the entitlement file held by the Registry of Shipping and Seamen. It does not, however, include: You may be searching for a ship using a former name. Saudi Arabia and the Second World War (1939-1945) 16. 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. MO has 20th Century military records for discharged and deceased veterans. As fast as they drew up new convoy plans, the instructions would change. ","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. 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. Most of the casualties were considered to have been killed by the explosion and subsequent flooding in No. 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.