Survival in the water was measured in minutes not hours. Art . This dangerous convoy route saw Canadian Merchant Navy and Royal Canadian Navy seamen sail into the Arctic Ocean to deliver war materials to the Soviet Union. First World War 12/5(262) Arctic Convoys 1941-1945, Second World War Russian Convoys 1942 . Australian merchant seamen were present in the lethal six-year long Battle of the Atlantic and the Arctic convoys to Russia. Billy McGee out of the goodness and love for the merchant vets sent one of his contacts down to the Public Records at Kew and had my . . The inspector of Merchant Navy Gunnery, Admiral Sir Frederick Dreyer, was responsible for overseeing DEMS. A total of 78 convoys took vital supplies of food and military. He was involved in the Arctic Convoys as he told us he reached Murmask but never spoke . The U.S. Navy Armed Guard was a service branch of the United States Navy that was responsible for defending U.S. and Allied merchant ships from attack by enemy aircraft, submarines and surface ships during World War II. Merchant Navy War Memorial - Dover (Preview) The Merchant Navy Memorial is a bronze life size figure, mounted on a Cornish granite plinth, looking out across Dover Harbour. HMS Edinburgh at sea in the autumn of 1941 The Devonport-based ship paused in the middle of the Barents Sea to remember the men of Operation Dervish - and the thousands who followed them . We have paid a researcher to visit Kew and research on our behalf but this ended in disappointing results. Thursday, August 21st, 1941. Book Review The CD is available for $25.00 ($15.00 tax deductible), check payable to: U.S. 2005. . Description. 11-18) and rightly suggests that it be read first. A new museum just opened in Russia is to honour men born in the neutral Irish Free State who manned vital supply ships known as . Harold signed on for the Merchant Navy in Cardiff in . This Naval Staff History describes the vital role of the Arctic Convoys, 1941-1945 and was first issued by the Historical Section of the Admiralty as a confidential study for use within the Royal Navy in 1954. The Arctic Star commemorates the Arctic Convoys that sailed to North Russia in support of the Russian allies. The first convoy sailed in September 1941. Leona5329 LostCousins Member. by terry doughty. If u can help me out my father will be more than pleased. 6 Inch Coastal Naval Defence Gun The Arctic convoys that left from Loch Ewe provided vital supplies to Murmansk and Archangel in Russia. 2005. . Object category. Merchant Marine in World War II - A Little-Known Story. The Merchant Navy Plaque for men from Ropner & Pool Shipping Co. Ltd. lost in service in two world wars. Entries are listed below by date-of-occurrence ascending (first-to-last). The National Maritime Museum holds some key works that give . Amber Heard subpoenas . A veteran merchant seaman at sea. More than 3,000 UK seamen were killed during Arctic Convoys as ships transported arms, fuel, food and medicine to maintain Russia's war effort . In all, 16 Royal Navy warships were lost and 1,944 Senior Service personnel were killed. . The story of the Arctic convoys are not part of the curriculum in Britain's school classrooms, . For merchant navy officers, you should start with The National Archives guide "Looking for records of an officer in the Merchant Navy".Not a lot of help, I'm afraid, but at least this seems to . According to "Tracing Your Naval Ancestors" (by Simon Fowler, Pen & Sword, 2011) from 1921, officers on RFA ships were ranked as Merchant Navy officers.Before that most were Royal Naval Reserve officers. In the first half of the book, Winston Churchill describes the fearful period in which the Germans threaten to overwhelm the Red Army, Rommel dominates the war in . That's as much as I know. . The author provides a useful "Glossary of Naval Terms" (pp. Only the first appearance of a ship in a convoy is listed i.e if a ship commences a passage in WS 6A then subsequent changes of designation eg WS 6 are not listed as the text makes the change clear. 85 of the 1,400 merchant ships which took part in the Arctic runs were sunk, killing 800 merchant sailors . But the passage through a narrow funnel between the Arctic ice pack and German bases in Norway presented the convoys of merchant ships and the Royal Navy vessels escorting them with terrifying . War heroes denied medals by Home Office for their part in Arctic Convoys . (d.23rd July 1943) My Grandfather was a DEMS gunner in WW2. First World War Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve records can also be accessed online. Attn. More than 3,000 Royal Navy and merchant seamen died between 1941 and 1945 on the convoys. They protected coastal waters, merchant ships, and accompanied naval convoys in all theatres of war, including the Arctic and the Mediterranean. On 6 May 1945, the Prinz Eugen and cruiser Nrnberg were handed over to the British as the last act by the Kriegsmarine. According to embassy records, there are about 550 Arctic convoy veterans in the UK who are eligible to accept the latest medal. . b. Discussion in 'Military records' started by Leona5329, Apr 18, 2015. Of these, 145 were lost in convoy, 54 were stragglers and 12 were losses out of convoy. Many were later discarded, with only those recording a birth or death on board normally being retained. The majority of Allied Arctic convoys were monitored at a distance by . At the end of the war, at least 221 U-boats were scuttled by their crews and another 156 were surrendered to the Allies. There is hereby established (as of 15 May 1942) in the Headquarters of the Commander in Chief, U. S. Fleet under the Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) a Convoy and Routing Section. The Royal Navy and the Arctic Convoys A Naval Staff History. Q2. Hence, the reader learns about "Buoy jumping" a difficult activity in choppy seas, "Jimmy the One," the "Pusser," and that "All at Sea" (as in the book's title), means "in a mess.". The Arctic Star is intended to commemorate the service personnel of the Arctic Convoys to North Russia and their Escorts. merchant navy arctic convoy records Posted on May 31, 2021 by All those who served for at least one day north of the Arctic Circle (latitude 66 32 N) and west of the Urals between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945, in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy, will qualify for the Emblem. Arctic Convoys 1941-1945 Kindle (12.8 MB) Add to Basket. British merchant ships were first required to keep an official log under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1850 and logs start to appear among official records from 1852 onwards. Show all records. 1920 d. 1960 | Merchant Navy. Merchant Navy Seamen 1918-1941: records of index cards that the Registrar General of Shipping and Seaman used between the two world wars to produce a centralised index to merchant seamen serving on British merchant navy vessels. Anderson Joseph. Royal Navy survey ship HMS Echo returned to waters where sailors once faced Nazi bombers and U-boats to pay tribute to the first Arctic convoy 80 years ago. Merchant Marine Academy Foundation for "U.S. MMA Class '42 History Project". Born in 1917 and from Newport on Tay, Fife, Scotland, William joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 18. Published here for the first time, this volume presents a superb range of insights into this crucial effort of the Second World War. . (Updated August 13, 2007) 78 convoys Between August 1941 and the end of the war, a total of 78 convoys made the perilous journey to and from north Russia, carrying four million tons of supplies for use by Soviet forces fighting against the German Army on the Eastern Front. London: Routledge, 2007. (d.20th Sep 1942) Anderson Robert. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945, sailing via several seas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, with two gaps with no sailings between July and . My Grandfather Walter George Daniel Evans b. He was captured by a German destroyer and sent to various prison camps. convoy escort, and support. The most direct route was by sea, around northern Norway to the Soviet ports of Murmansk and Archangel. The men of the Armed Guard served primarily as gunners, signal men and radio operators on . He was a 2nd Radio Officer on SS Clearpool from 18/03/1941 and then SS Briarwood 18/03/1942 as his records show. Greaser (d.2nd July 1941) Andrews William E.. Ashford Edwin Douglas. . The records of the Arming Merchant Ships Section of the Fleet Maintenance Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations show that some 347 merchant ships were dispatched to North Russia from August 1941 through April 1945. 20/01/1919 in Grimsby joined the Merchant Navy during WWII. A total of 78 convoys took vital supplies of food and military equipment to northern Russia, after the Soviet Union joined the war in 1941. (Sydney C.B.-U.K., later Halifax or New York-U.K.) According to Arnold Hague's "The Allied Convoy System" the 177 SC convoys lost a total of 211 ships. By 1945, over 96,000 . Ch.Eng.Off. . By Dmitry Madorsky (Reuters) British and Russian World War Two veterans gathered on Wednesday in Arkhangelsk, 75 years to the day since Britain's first Arctic convoy of military supplies steamed. The individual service records for the Merchant Navy are held at the Public Records Office in Kew, London in the Fifth Register of Merchant Seaman's Service in BT382. Was it only issued to the merchant navy seamen who had done the north atlantic run. 85 of the 1,400 merchant ships which took part in the Arctic runs were sunk, killing 800 merchant sailors . Merchant Seaman Records (Preview) Andy: 0: 1643: May 18, 2012 by Andy. This section will have cognizance of all matters relating to the routing and other appropriate control of merchant convoys and shipping. If you don't have the Continuous Discharge Book, you can use the Merchant Navy registers of service in records series BT 382 which list all the ships a person served on. #1. The British Merchant Navy was the biggest in the world and required more crew than Great Britain had merchant seamen, as the 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. Royal Navy survey ship HMS Echo returned to waters where sailors once faced Nazi bombers and U-boats to pay tribute to the first Arctic convoy 80 years ago. . For merchant navy officers, you should start with The National Archives guide "Looking for records of an officer in the Merchant Navy".Not a lot of help, I'm afraid, but at least this seems to . 4.1 Merchant seamen's campaign medal records 1914-1918 See our guide and customized search of records of the issuing of the British War Medal, the Mercantile Marine Medal and the Silver War Badge. Kew Results: BT 372 - no results BT 395 - no results It grew out of the earlier Battle Summary No. The Arctic Convoys were perilous missions to keep Russian supply lines open. With much of Europe occupied by the Germans, most of the equipment, fuel and food desperately The Arctic Star commemorates the Arctic Convoys that sailed to North Russia in support of the . The Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill records the names of the Canadians who died on the Murmansk Run, among the more than 1,600 Canadian . if the application is for the first issue of World War II medals for Merchant Navy . Q1. AUGUST 20, 2014 - LONDON - 11 British veterans of the Arctic convoys, accompanied by their family members, the Mayor of Southwark and a team from ITV, will visit St. Petersburg in Russia from 29 August to 2 September for the unveiling ceremony of the memorial 'IN MEMORY OF THE ARCTIC CONVOYS SAILORS 1941-1945'. Merchant seamen 1939 - 1945. To apply for the Arctic Star, . Russian Arctic Convoys. dangerous convoy route saw Canadian Merchant Navy and Royal Canadian Navy seamen sail into the Arctic Ocean to deliver war materials to the Soviet Union. . Douglas Maylin (Doug) was born on 23rd October 1920 in Ynyshir, a coal mining village in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. 4.99. How do I find ww2 Royal navy service records? He states that the greatest . my late father Robert Casey a merchant navy veteran sailed Atlantic, Arctic & Med convoys. According to "Tracing Your Naval Ancestors" (by Simon Fowler, Pen & Sword, 2011) from 1921, officers on RFA ships were ranked as Merchant Navy officers.Before that most were Royal Naval Reserve officers. The U.S. The BaTTle of The aTlanTic The war at sea was a critical aspect of the Second World War. Other leading and trailing events may also be included for perspective. "The World's largest shipping company". Additionally seamen from Commonwealth countries . U.S. Navy Armed Guard and U.S. . WWII Merchant Navy records. Sun, 17 Oct, 2021 - 17:00. The story goes that he was missing presumed dead for months prior to marrying my grandmother in 1944. Reviews (6) About the Author. New MN Group NE (Preview) Andy: 0: 2031: May 13, 2012 . . 20th March-3rd April - Convoy PQ13 and Return QP9 - The se next two convoys set out around the 20th , again covered by the Home Fleet. The Royal Naval Historical Archive holds online records, and the Merchant Navy Association and the Federation of Merchant Mariners also keep an expanding database of those qualifying personnel who have been awarded the Merchant Navy Veterans badge. warmuseum.calearn Royal Canadian Navy and the Merchant Navy 5 Second World War service records contain considerable detail relating to an individual's Of Arctic Convoys. By the end of the war, some 100,000 merchant seamen had completed the two-day instruction. There is a wide range of material both in printed and manuscript form. Herman E. Melton, an American participant in these events that took many lives in the frozen . SC Convoys (slow) - 1940-1945. The Devonport-based ship paused in the middle of the Barents Sea to remember the men of Operation Dervish - and the thousands who followed them, delivering vital aid to the Soviet Union . The British Merchant Navy along with Russian, US, Canadian, Norwegian and Dutch merchant fleets were involved. In general Second World War Royal Naval Reserve officers' records and post 1950 records are held by CN Pers (Commodore Naval Personnel). Firstly, check the documents you already have to see if you can find the Continuous Discharge Book issued to the seaman - this will show what ships he served on. 3. Whitehall, the first Royal Navy ship of the name, was ordered in January 1918 [1] [2] as part of the 13th Order of the 1918-1919 Naval Programme. An American merchant sailor remembers the Arctic convoys during World War II SS 'Cornelius Harnett,' Newport News, Va., June 1945 Library of Virginia The brave efforts of the British and American. Arctic Convoys. Of the 31 merchantmen in two convoys, only one straggler from QP8 was lost to the German force. The records in this collection consist of two cards per record. The plight of those in Murmansk and Archangel who benefited is now well known, but few are . Sailors on nearly 80 convoys from August 1941 to May 1945 risked their lives to help the Soviet people. The Arctic Star commemorates the Arctic Convoys that sailed to North Russia in support of the . (d.17th Mar 1942) Baldwin David Tweedale. How many Arctic convoys were there? 2. Ivor John Tilley DSM was a merchant seaman on the Arctic convoys. The Merchant Navy Plaque for men from Ropner & Pool Shipping Co. Ltd. lost in service in two world wars. warmuseum.calearn Royal Canadian Navy and the Merchant Navy 1 Royal Canadian Navy, 1910-1919, 1939-1945, and the Merchant Navy, . For the next two years, the Royal Navy would force through convoys to the Soviet far North against enormous risks and terrible odds. Nov 5, 2008. WS Convoy Database: Troop and Military Supply convoys 1940 - 1943. Merchant Navy, and RAF ground crew; Merchant seaman Ivor John Tilley won a medal for bravery when his Second World War convoy . The Arctic Sea was the most hellish place on earth to fight convoys through attack by Nazi bombers and U-Boats. The British prime minister recounts battles from Midway to Stalingrad, and how the Allies turned the tide of WWII: "Superlative." The New York Times The Hinge of Fate is the dramatic account of the Allies' changing fortunes. 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). Nortraship. Unlinked convoys will be added. Genealogical enquiries should be made in writing and search fees are 30. He served in the Merchant Navy and became a prisoner of war after their vessel was sunk as part of an arctic convoy. (d.29th May 1943) Atkinson James. The War With Hitler's Navy. The first experimental convoy of merchant vessels left Gibraltar on 10 May 1917 and arrived at the Downs on 22 May, having been accompanied by the last leg of its journey by a flying boat from the Scillies. The Arctic Convoys of World War II were convoys that sailed to northern areas of the Soviet Union from the UK, Iceland, and North America. The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union - primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. My Grandfather Walter George Daniel Evans b. For this reason they will handle applications from ALL recipients (Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy) of the Arctic Emblem for the Arctic Convoy Medal. In all, 16 Royal Navy warships were lost and 1,944 Senior Service personnel were killed. Off North Cape on the 24th "U-655" was ra mmed and sunk by minesweeper "Sharpshooter" escorting QP9. On 21 August 1941 the first convoy loaded with equipment and weapons left Iceland for the Soviet Arctic port of Archangel. The story goes that he was missing presumed dead for months prior to marrying my grandmother in 1944. CO (d.1st October 1944) Aspel Thomas. Merchant Navy during the Second World War 1939-1945. Merchant Marine Academy Class of 1942 created a CD about members of the class in World War II. The Arctic Star Medal is awarded for operational service of any length north of the Arctic Circle, 66 degrees, 32'North Latitude from the 3rd September, 1939, to the 8th May, 1945, inclusive. During the last four years of the Second World War, the Western Allies secured Russian defences against Germany by supplying vital food and arms. There are a total of [ 22 ] Arctic Convoys - WW2 Timeline (August 1941 - May 1945) events in the Second World War timeline database. Supplement to The London Gazette of Friday, 13th October, 1950 Tuesday, 17 October 1950 Convoys to North Russia, 1942. By May 1945, the Arctic route had claimed 104 merchant and 16 military vessels. In the midd 90s i researched my late fathers merchant navy days during WW11, he sailed on Atlantic Malta & Arctic convoys, these realy were the forgoten men from WW11, many left sea with out a single campaign medal, any one got a relative who sailed on Convoy ONS.5 1943, UK to St Johns, Nova Scotia . My grandfather apparently served on the convoys doing Arctic runs to Russia. Maturation 4thEng.Off. This is distributed across a number of libraries and archives and the researcher should be prepared to seek out material that addresses the particulars of the research problem. 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 . These records have only been held at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. Research guide C10: Merchant Navy. [1] [3] Work was then suspended and she was towed to Chatham Dockyard, where her . . while Phillimore set about Irving rather more bluntly (casually throwing in the words 'conceited', 'grasping' and 'foolish young man' to deliver a character assassination via a subordinate clause) describing the book as 'anti-British and a deliberate attack on the Royal Navy' Irving seems to. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, demanded help and Britain and its allies provided supplies. 22 . Newbie. Ships & Convoys. The first Royal Navy convoy on its way . Convoy OS.33: A detailed study of convoy OS.33 Multi-Convoy Web Search: Search over 1,750 convoy pages across the Web for a particular merchant ship. . What are these records? Pictures: Courtesy of Andrew Hemmings. The Royal Naval Historical Archive holds online records, and the Merchant Navy Association and the Federation of Merchant Mariners also keep an expanding database of those qualifying personnel who have been awarded the Merchant Navy Veterans badge. Most of the losses were sustained between January 5, 1942, and March 14, 1943. Mr. Virgil R. Allen '73, President. It was unveiled on 3rd September 2008 by Winston Spencer Churchill, grandson of WW2 Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Besides the anti-aircraft regiment the entrance of the loch had a boom net and a mine defence system helped protect the vessels in Loch Ewe from German submarines (U boats). Sean O'Riordan, Defence Correspondent. Merchant Navy 1939-1945 Naval Warfare Merchant Navy 1914-1918 Atlantic 1939-1945 British Home Front 1939-1945 Royal Navy 1939-1945 Cassette British Home Front 1914-1918 Royal Navy 1914-1918 British Army . INDEX of MERCHANT SHIPS TAKING PASSAGE in WS CONVOYS. Was it issued to all merchant seamen. I am having a lot of trouble finding his service record. Hi, I need some help about the white beret issued to the merchant navy. She was laid down in June 1918 by Swan Hunter at Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, and launched on 11 September 1919. This collection of records, BT 395, lists the medals awarded to merchant seamen for their service in the Second World War (1939-1945), with the exception of the Arctic Star.. British Merchant Navy, Prince of Wales Sea Training School, Dover, Ingham, . The RNPS operated a flotilla of small auxiliary vessels, primarily along the British coast. This particularly applies where a ship transfers from the main convoy to an A or B . In 1941, Dreyer initiated a two-day course especially for merchant seamen. The main reason for this is that I would like to apply for the Arctic Star on behalf of my father as my grandfather served on the Arctic convoys. These records state the names of individuals and the ships and dates they . I know a couple of ships he served on and I have his service number but nothing much else. 39041, 5139. Although I have a copy of his merchant seaman's records, none of the ships he was on appeared in the Arctic Convoy lists, and "experts" in the field on various forums cannot find his name on any of the crew lists. The convoya group of merchantmen or troopships traveling together with a naval escortwas revived during World War I (1914-18), after having been discarded at the start of the Age of Steam.Although convoys were used by the Royal Navy in 1914 to escort troopships from the Dominions, and in 1915 by both it and the French Navy to cover their own troop movements for overseas service, they . London: Routledge, 2007. 20/01/1919 in Grimsby joined the Merchant Navy during WWII. Records relating to the issue of the Arctic Emblem are held by the MOD Medal Office. In total, 85 merchant and 16 Royal Navy vessels . Naval and Marine Operational and Personnel Records. By 1941 he was a third officer and part of an Arctic Convoy heading for the former Soviet Union. The Red Army reeled back from the assault, losing thousands of tanks, guns and planes.