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. 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. If anyone knows of my father, Captain Len Chapman I will be pleased to hear! For ability and general conduct both men are reported as very good. (d.13th October 1945), Capt. Awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. At 7.45 p.m. the Samaria was about to sail. The library does have collections of books, dealing with . Records available only at The National Archives in Kew To access the records in this. privacy policy, Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant Shipping Movement Cards, Available in digital format unless otherwise stated. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence 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. During wartime, however, they can become an auxiliary to the United States Navycalled upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military. 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 By now the United States had entered the war and Japanese forces were invading Malaya. A register entry for a foreign trade voyage, from BT 124. The ships formed up with the Clyde contingent for convoy WS 16 west of Orsay on the 17th. Catalogue entries for this series have been enhanced as part of a project supported by volunteers. Ordinary Seaman Charles Lomax served with the Merchant Navy in WW2. 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. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945; . Don Fraser, "'Men of a service . The official records state the purser took possession of his discharge book, his I.D. IWM collections. You do not have to fill in all fields to search. It lists nearly 24,000 Welsh merchant masters, mates and engineers who were active between 1800 and 1945. The series generally contains information about radio equipment . Log book and Crew Agreements to be found in BT 381, Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, 1872-1992. These records are digitised cards recording the movements of British and Allied merchant ships during the Second World War. Archives, Open Government Licence (BSLOC_2013_11_114) Everett Collection Mary Evans. On 28th of May 1943 he was buried in El Alia Cemetery Algiers. Some useful printed works include: The Roll of Honour of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets 1939-1945, 3 vols (London: Ministry of . Some of the seamen discharged during this period. Art . 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. Each set of cards records: The cards also show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk. My mum told me that he did serve. Merchant seafarers were involved in the Second World War from the first day to the last. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence We also found evidence after 1943 of his return to the Army, promotion to Captain and his service in India, near Karachi. He died on 21st Aug 1973. I have a record of him being on HMS Leonian in 1941/2 from a list of people he wanted to write telegrams to from the ship. 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. Edit Search New Search. ", JEng. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. This enabled them to arrive at Freetown on the 25th for fuelling and water before sailing on 28th for Durban. Ships & Convoys. 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. 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. I hope to also take a digital diary when it is finished to the Arctic Convoy Museum at Loch Ewe. This information will help us make improvements to the website. 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. You need to sign in to tag.
Those giving evidence included J. Cornwall M.N. 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. 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. 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. 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. A little after 1.30 a.m. the last person to speak to Grandad was Able Seaman M. Towers. James Wafer S.S. Samaria (d.14th May 1943). www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/royal-naval-reserve-service-records.htm, First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve records. 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! He survived. 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. 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). 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. The book's structure follows the chronological evolution of geographical opinions and retains a geohistorical narrative. Fort Pepperrell was in St. John's and many American servicemen were to resident in the capital city. After a change of orders she eventually left the Clyde with escorts on 30th June. Maurice John Case MBE: 20 . Hello, I have just started to look for my deceased fathers merchant navy records. He may have been in the Devon or Dorset Regiment. 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. 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. SS Otranto, Capt. Against J. Search for the National Maritime Museums records of master and mate certificates (1850-1927) on Ancestry.co.uk (). Want to find out more about your relative's service? (These were originally described as 'Asian seamen' but that is misleading. 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. The image you order will usually come with a number of medal records for other seamen. : s.n., between 1939 and 1940) AWM call number: 387.5071094 M554; Online. 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. Results 1-4 of 4 View Record Name Birth Date; Records 1939 - 1946. AncestryDNA Activate a Kit ; AncestryDNA Learning Hub ; What's Included in Your Results . 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. 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. Search and download () records of World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen (BT 395). Other ways to find service records.
We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. You can also search: the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. This was simply a record of the. At 7.05 p.m. Matthew Towers A.B. Gunner, R. W. Orr D.E.M.S. Wafer it states "he failed to re-join ship" and for M. Towers it reads "died as result of accident". This collection includes Merchant Navy Seamen records held at The National Archives. Monarch of Bermuda sailed on Christmas Eve for Liverpool via Trinidad arriving back on 21st January 1942. Many merchant seamen came from parts of the British Empire, such as India, Hong Kong and west African countries. You need to sign in to tag.
Let us know. 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. Some idea of the danger awaiting convoys is given by the following story. A merchant seaman could qualify after six months service with at least one voyage in an operational area. Use our guide Abbreviations in merchant seamens records to interpret the records. Records we hold This website Search 09:00 to 17:00. As fast as they drew up new convoy plans, the instructions would change. A silver rose on the ribbon bar signifies the award of a bar. George Smith died later of his injuries. In the eleven months on the ship Dad had spent three months in Liverpool. United States Merchant . 09:00 to 17:00. He describes why . To have have kept all the cards together would have rendered them out of alphabetical order (in contravention of the specification) with possible adverse consequences for the list. Gunner and T. Moulton Sectionman. To find out about a seamans entitlement, contact the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. Awarded for service between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945, in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. 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. Research guidance for records relating to World War 2. ","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. Friends of The National A merchant seaman qualified serving within a restricted area in the Bay of Bengal. This is the story of my Grandad, James Wafer and his best friend and shipmate Matty Towers. 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?).