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?). card and his grey suit jacket. Birth, Marriage & Death, including Parish ; Military ; Wills & Probate ; Immigration & Travel ; Schools, Directories & Church Histories ; Public Member Trees ; . 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. The official record of these two mens' deaths falls so short of telling the whole story. 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. Search for the National Maritime Museums records of master and mate certificates (1850-1927) on Ancestry.co.uk (). Consult copies of the Mercantile Navy List for 1860 to 1864 in The National Archives reading rooms for alphabetical lists of masters and mates (with certificate numbers) as well as one-line obituaries for deceased seamen. 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). The cards record the movements of both British-registered and Allied vessels engaged in the war effort. Then, as European-built iron-hulled sailing ships replaced wooden square-riggers, Canadian shipbuilders found it harder to compete. Voyages in the registers were usually recorded either as: Home trade voyages (repeated or reported voyages). ","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. The ship left Suez on 27th August via Port Sudan to load commercial cargo at Mombasa for Capetown and the UK. The cards are presented in alphabetical order by ship's name. LOG BOOKS AND CREW AGREEMENTS Little did I know, but back home I was considered missing and presumed dead. This is the story of my Grandad, James Wafer and his best friend and shipmate Matty Towers. He was torpedoed and sunk twice but fortunately rescued on both occasions. This information will help us make improvements to the website. Divided first by country and then by shipping company, the book includes the ships of such great Generally awarded if the seaman qualified for one of the Stars. Conditions on the raider were passable, but the prison ship was deplorable. 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. Increased Centralization and the Ikhwan Movement (1926-1934) 13. The database includes every British registered ship from 1855 to the early 1950s with official numbers 1 to 200000. (6th June 1944 - 8th May 1945). v3.0. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/royal-naval-reserve-service-records.htm, First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve records. From 10.00 a.m. 11.00 p.m. he was seen on his rounds attending to blackout by J. Lowe. A silver rose on the ribbon bar signifies the award of a bar. privacy policy, Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant Shipping Movement Cards, Available in digital format unless otherwise stated. Visit The National Archives bookshop for a range of publications on the Merchant Navy. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Underneath, the caption reads: `The life-line is firm thanks to the Merchant Navy`. They give the seaman's name, age, rank, rating/grade etc with details of the ships on which they served. You can also search: the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. Search 5: service details of Merchant Navy cooks 1913-1956 This is a search in record series BT 319. 1 With only two decades since the ending of the Great War most serving shipmasters would have been at sea during . SA. the Armed Forces Memorial roll of honour. Merchant Navy mariners were recorded in the 1841 census but unfortunately not those on board ships either stationed on shore or at sea. You can search ()the records in Discovery, our catalogue, by filling in the form below. It lists nearly 24,000 Welsh merchant masters, mates and engineers who were active between 1800 and 1945. Find answers to your research questions at, How to File a FOIA Request for Archival Records. The often slow-moving shipsand the civilian merchant mariners who maneuvered themwere easy targets for enemy fire. Generally the qualifying service period for the Burma Star could only begin after the 1939-1945 Star had been earned by six months service. During wartime, however, they can become an auxiliary to the United States Navycalled upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military. Hello, I have just started to look for my deceased fathers merchant navy records. The Socio-political Structure of Saudi Arabia after its Creation 14. The two Ellerman ships City of Lincoln and City of Edinburgh had to return to Liverpool and the Clyde because cargo had shifted. There were still some men on the after deck, but could not see if they had jumped clear before the ship sank. Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. . MO has 20th Century military records for discharged and deceased veterans. Records of Merchant Navy from other sources. 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. 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. In May 1943 S.S. Samaria was in West Huskisson dock at my grandfather's home port of Liverpool. The following books may also prove useful: In general, seamens records for the period 1913-1972 can be found at TNA (unfortunately, most records for the First World War period do not appear to havesurvived). The first time a foreign team have ever beaten them! Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small At Halifax she embarked American troops to Reykjavik in Iceland and arrived back on 17th October a total journey time of three months. 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. 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. 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). 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. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from IWM collections Menu. Contents Part Two 11. 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. On 13th December the weather reached gale force which repeated the heavy rolling and misery in the troopdecks experienced on the first leg of the voyage. He describes why . 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). Helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by 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. Ships & Convoys. Want to know what life was like during the War? Use our guide Abbreviations in merchant seamens records to interpret the records. Unfortunately, many cards contain a lot of abbreviations and there is no known key for them. Sanitary arrangements were, as usual, inadequate. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. 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. In themerchant navy the term officer can refer to a master, mate, engineer, fishing boat skipper, second hand or cook. Read My Ancestor was a Merchant Seaman by Christopher and Michael Watts (Society of Genealogists, 2002) this title is also available in our shop. Archives, Open Government Licence Nortraship. Whilst it is only short, it gives a vivid account of life on board ship as a RA gunner during WW2. 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. research. She was ordered into the Clyde and the 990 RAF and 419 troops on board were going to disembark. I believe, SS Port Sydney also survived the war so, I am uncertain on which ship Ronnie was serving when torpedoed. Some of these records are alsoavailable on the subscription websitewww.findmypast.co.uk. Results 1-4 of 4 View Record Name Birth Date; 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. Monarch of Bermuda embarked 2,287 troops and was one of ten liners in this convoy which eventually sailed on 12th November. the National Archives. After four months aboard the raider, we were transferred to a prison ship. Ordinary Seaman Charles Lomax served with the Merchant Navy in WW2. 2. TNA has detailed research guides on the Fourth and Fifth Registers of Seamen and other records. Research guidance for records relating to World War 2. If you don't have an account please register. The British Merchant Navy fleet was the largest in the world in 1939 and around 185,000 men served in it during the war. Records 1939 - 1946. 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. ","spans":[]}]}},{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceQuote","type":"slice-quote","primary":{"__typename":"PrismicArticlePage1939BodySliceQuotePrimary","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":"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. Edit Search New Search. However the majority are held by the Maritime History Archive. 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. I was held in Stalag X-B for two years, and I will never forget that smell it lingered constantly. The card entries do not all start or end at the same time. ","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. World War Two 1939-1945 - Archives New Zealand Skip to main content Our reading rooms are open. 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. By 1878, Canada was the fourth largest ship-owning nation in the world, with a merchant fleet of 7,200 vessels. What are these records? These records come from The National Archives' record series BT112, BT113, BT114, BT115, BT116, BT119 and BT120. Each set of cards records: The cards also show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk. Despite the fact that merchant crews were not compelled to sail on the dangerous ocean passages, most indeed did. Records of masters and mates passing the voluntary examination are in series BT 143 (which includes a name index) and in BT 6/218-219. The trip back to Liverpool was via Durban, Capetown, Trinidad and Halifax. Showing 1-30 of 261 records. 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. On the 18th the weather worsened to force 6 with a rough sea and short, heavy swell with poor visibility. My mum told me that he did serve. 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. 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. Consult our guide to records of merchant seamen serving after 1917for advice on searching within registers of seamen and seamens pouchesto establishvoyage details which you may be able to apply to the service of officers. At 05.55 all the boats but one had cleared the ship, by which time the foredeck was completely submerged and the water almost up to the level of the promenade deck. ","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. 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. In 1939, a third of the world's merchant ships were British, and there were some 200,000 sailors. was taken ashore by the military authorities for burial. Main image:Allied convoy crossing the North Atlantic in 1942 during World War 2. She was torpedoed and shelled by the German U-boat U30 without warning, becoming the first merchant vessel casualty of the Second World War. He was rescued, repatriated and managed to survive the war. ", JEng. (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. According to a later report by the ship Cathay, the previous nights U-Boat dispositions siutuated a submarine close to the position of Anselm and which, despite the three corvette anti-submarine screen, allowed U-96 to put in a successful attack at 05.37 when a torpedo struck the port side reserve bunkers of Anselm. 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. Visit the Crew List Index Project (CLIP) website, which has information about merchant seamen on British registered ships from 1861 to 1913. Contact the appropriate state or national archive. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from Medals and awards Refer to our research guides: Campaign and service medals Australian military honours and awards Where to look for photographs He listed drowning as the probable cause of death. This camp bordered on primitive in every sense of the word.
"The World's largest shipping company". 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. "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. At 5.10 p.m. he was assigned A.R.P. Have you found an error with this catalogue description? AB. *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. Services and information Second World War death records Search the war dead service files from the Second World War. 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. Saudi Arabia and the Second World War (1939-1945) 16. It sank many submarines, but it also lost a large number of warships. One statement indicates he fell forward unhindered over the gun deck another says he staggered, gripped a rail and fell backwards to his death. Photographs CAPTAIN CHARLES FRYATT giving a true reflection as to when the name-change was made. For information on how to order an Official Military Personnel File for a veteran who separated from service before 1957, . Research guide C12: The Merchant Navy: Ship registration and Custom House records; Research guide E1: . 1939-1945. An incomplete set of captains registers is available on microfilm in The National Archives reading rooms. Gunner and T. Moulton Sectionman. 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 shipping movement cards 1939-1945, Merchant Navy ships' records: movement cards 1939-1945, Merchant Navy ships' records: registration of merchant ships, About our
On being examined by the ship's surgeon life was found to be extinct. Search indexes to crew lists from 1861 to 1913 by name on findmypast (). We weren't sorry to leave there in a cattle truck three days later, when we were taken to Drancy Prison in Paris. The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers and the free to access part of the website is funded by donations from our visitors. Merchant Navy Day. Merchant ship movement card (catalogue reference: BT 389). The cards are of different colours depending on the type of qualification: Consult registers and renewals of certificates of competency ofmasters andmates in BT 317; masters, mates and engineers in BT 318; just engineersin BT 320 (1913-1935) (in process of transfer from National Maritime Museum under references RSS/ENG/5-6); and fishing officers in BT 396. 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. He may have been in the Devon or Dorset Regiment. 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. George James William "Dick" Durling BEM. They cover masters with foreign trade certificates sailing either as masters or mates. to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Instead, these details were recorded on movements cards held and maintained at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. 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. During the war this fleet underwent tremendous expansion as Canadian shipyards produced 403 merchant vessels. These records have been selected on the basis that they reflect the economic, social and demographic condition of the UK, as documented by the state's dealings with individuals, communities and organisations outside of its own formal boundaries (2.2.2.1 of PRO's acquisition policy). 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. 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. 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. Another important archive open to the public is theLloyds Marine Collectionat the Guildhall Library which holds the Captains Registers for the period up to 1948, voyage record cards 1927 to 1975 and runs of theLloyds Registers, Lloyds ListsandMercantile Navy Lists. Medals were not automatically issued, but had to be claimed by the merchant seaman. Remember, you'll need to show photo ID to be issued with records. In general Second World War Royal Naval Reserve officers records and post 1950 records are held by CN Pers (Commodore Naval Personnel).
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