These records come from The National Archives' record series BT112, BT113, BT114, BT115, BT116, BT119 and BT120. From 1845 onwards a system of examinations was introduced for masters and mates. 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. The exact number of New Zealand Merchant Navy war deaths will probably never be known with certainty, as the recording of personal information, nationality, next-of-kin and service in the Merchant Navy was not as comprehensive as it was for the armed forces. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Then, as European-built iron-hulled sailing ships replaced wooden square-riggers, Canadian shipbuilders found it harder to compete. SS Otranto, Capt. However the majority are held by the Maritime History Archive. The British Merchant Navy was the largest in the world and required more crew than Great Britain had merchant seamen, as a result large numbers of Indian, Chinese and West African seamen were engaged to crew ships which regularly traded from Great Britain to ports in those areas. In the eleven months on the ship Dad had spent three months in Liverpool. Show all records. The stokehold and engine-room were soon flooded and with the engines stopped, the ship lost way and within eight minutes, Captain Elliott reported that Anselm was badly down by the head. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. ). was taken ashore by the military authorities for burial. (BSLOC_2013_11_114) Everett Collection Mary Evans. You may be searching for a ship on dates before or after movement cards were in use on that vessel. You need to sign in to tag. The Canadian Merchant Marine had only forty-one ocean-going merchant ships at the outbreak of the Second World War. For details of the Arctic Star see our guide to Merchant seamans medals and honours. 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. When they reached Aden on 15th August the convoy was disbanded. The cards give the name of a ship and details of its movements, namely, the ports at which it docked, and passage between ports. 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. 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 TNA has detailed research guides on the Fourth and Fifth Registers of Seamen and other records. 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. Ships & Convoys. Against J. Merchant Seaman records sometimes identify a vessel an individual served on only by the Ships' Official Number. 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. James Wafer S.S. Samaria (d.14th May 1943). If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. the-raf-in-camera-1939-1945 1/11 Downloaded from uniport.edu.ng on March 2, 2023 by guest . A register entry for home trade voyages, from BT 126. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. 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 T124X records detail the sea service of merchant seamen who served on Royal Navy ships (or Royal Navy auxiliary vessels). Merchant seamen who were discharged from the navy between 1940 and 1972 had their records filed in what became known as 'seamen's pouches'. 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). 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. If you are ordering more than one record for seamen with similar names, you should check if their records are on the same page. It lists nearly 24,000 Welsh merchant masters, mates and engineers who were active between 1800 and 1945. His brother Francis David Short was in the First War but I have no details on his service. These records are digitised cards recording the movements of British and Allied merchant ships during the Second World War. Canada's air support was crucial throughout the war. Another brother Thomas was in the British Army. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. By 1895, they were essentially out of business. Ronnie stayed with the Merchant Navy during the war and was torpedoed off the east coast of the USA at some point. E. A. Huntbatch SS Orama (d.15th July 1941), Fireman James Gilbert Goodwin S.S. San Casto (London). The date commemorates the sinking of the first British merchant ship in 1939, just hours after Britain declared war on Germany. Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck Evan McGilvray 2020-09-30 This military biography explores On the 23rd November the convoy was ordered to split into slow and fast convoys. privacy policy, Registry of Shipping and Seamen: War of 1939-1945; Merchant Shipping Movement Cards, Available in digital format unless otherwise stated. On 1 September 1939 this passenger liner set sail from Glasgow with over 1400 passengers and crew aboard. The Wartime Memories Project is a non profit organisation run by volunteers. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, My name was and still is on the wall of remembrance in the Mission to Seaman in South Shields. 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. 3 hold. They sailed up the Irish Sea to join with the Clyde portion to form convoy WS 9B. This series contains records of Merchant Seamen's Service on Royal Navy Ships. Consult series BT 140 for details. In the indexes, names beginning with Mc or Mac are usually found under the letter following that prefix. Nortraship. Some are at TNA, while a few are held by theNational Maritime Museum. 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. List view Image view. Research guidance for records relating to World War 2. Consult series BT 128 for details. Catalogue entries for this series have been enhanced as part of a project supported by volunteers. A Clasp would be worn to signify service for the other Star. Visit The National Archives bookshop for a range of publications on the Merchant Navy. The official history for the Second World War, Australia in the War of 1939-1945, has been digitised and is available for viewing on the Memorial's web site. You need to sign in to tag. (These were originally described as 'Asian seamen' but that is misleading. The slower ships left the convoy at Capetown and the convoy increased speed to 14 knots rounding the Cape into a full gale which eventually turned so that they had a following sea. giving a true reflection as to when the name-change was made. ConsultBT 122-126and BT 128 (index in BT 127). A merchant seaman had to have served a minimum of 28 days at sea. If you don't have an account please register. At this point the body of Matthew Towers A.B. The ship Adrastus had to heave-to to secure cargo which had come adrift and didnt catch up with the convoy until three days later. Little did I know, but back home I was considered missing and presumed dead. The certificate number obtained from the index indicates: Certificate numbers with a letter(s) prefix NWS were issued in the colonies. Registers were created to record the awarding of these certificates to officers and what they had done to qualify for them. We also found evidence after 1943 of his return to the Army, promotion to Captain and his service in India, near Karachi. We landed in Bordeaux a few weeks later and were taken to the prison camp Caserne Colonial Bordeaux. When the war began, Canada had 38 ocean-going merchant vessels. We weren't sorry to leave there in a cattle truck three days later, when we were taken to Drancy Prison in Paris. Results 1-9 of 9 View Record Name Birth Date; View Record. Up to 1854 records are arranged by port and registry number; subsequently by ship's official number. 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. As fast as they drew up new convoy plans, the instructions would change. 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 movement control staff in Durban were receiving signals from London changing the instructions for the destinations of the various troops. 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. The Guildhall Library does not hold crew lists. There were still some men on the after deck, but could not see if they had jumped clear before the ship sank. If they appear on the same page, you should only pay one fee. 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. In Britain, New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries, 3 September is Merchant Navy Day. 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. They subsequently sailed on convoy WS 17. Much of the information would have come from the Royal Navy. Discovery is a catalogue of archival records across the UK and beyond, from which you can search 32 million records. World War Two 1939-1945 - Archives New Zealand Skip to main content Our reading rooms are open. The card entries do not all start or end at the same time. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Contact the appropriate state or national archive. Contents Part Two 11. Monarch of Bermuda sailed on Christmas Eve for Liverpool via Trinidad arriving back on 21st January 1942. 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. This is the story of my Grandad, James Wafer and his best friend and shipmate Matty Towers. 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. 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 defence courses: general information ([Melbourne? The medals were claimed and issued from 1946 to 2002. A merchant seaman qualified serving within a restricted area in the Bay of Bengal. Merchant Navy mariners were recorded in the 1841 census but unfortunately not those on board ships either stationed on shore or at sea. 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 Many years later he wrote a short fictional story about a Maritime Regiment gunner who brought nothing but bad luck. In the Merchant Navy there is a requirement that the 28 days should have been served at sea. Service Number . The National Maritime Museum holds the registers (see below). Let us know. 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. In these instances the cards have been separated and placed alphabetically according to the name shown without a deletion. He signed up in 1915 at the age of 18. Tragically, 30,248 merchant seamen lost their lives during World War Two, a death rate proportionally higher than in any of the armed forces. What ship was Admiral Harold Stark on during D-Day? MERCHANT NAVY SEAMAN'S SEA SERVICE RECORDS Sea Service Records . Now, many warships had immediately packed the harbour, so, the navy men and merchant seamen had all gone to St. John's for their off hours. Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. If you have any unwanted 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. research. 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). Anyone who qualified for both the Pacific Star and the Burma Star would be awarded the first Star earned. 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,. The convoy arrived in Freetown on 1st March. You can also search: the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. . Awarded for service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. I hope to also take a digital diary when it is finished to the Arctic Convoy Museum at Loch Ewe. Read tagging guidelines. 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. 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.