Merchant Navy awards - Page 15

Hugh MacLean · 22-08-2009, 11:12 AM

Posts 21 and 44 refers.

Quote:

GALLANT MERCHANT SEAMEN

M.B.E.
William John Freestone, second officer.

A ship was torpedoed. The second officer was in charge of one of the boats which were got away. On the second day they met a badly overcrowded boat and raft from another torpedoed vessel. Two men and an officer were transferred to Freestone's boat. By his skill and good seamanship the second officer, after a voyage of 12 days, brough many survivors to safety.

The ship was CLAN OGILVY official number 137782 [see post 21]
Regards
Hugh

Hugh MacLean · 22-08-2009, 06:40 PM

Post no. 49 refers.

Quote:

From The Times, Wednesday, February 4, 1942

GALLANT MERCHANT SEAMEN

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL
William Thomas Hinton, gunner

A ship was attacked at night by a U-boat and set on fire. In the light of this another ship saw the submarine. Her guns at once went into action. The good shooting of Hinton was outstanding. The third shell burst on or near the conning-tower. Four more shots were fired before the enemy disappeared.

Cargo ship CROMARTY official number 164958 built in 1936. Gunner Hinton was awarded his BEM when the ship shelled an enemy submarine on 19th September 1941.
The Master, James Thompson Hair, the Chief Officer Harry Edwards and AB John Stewart Rowan RANR all received commendations.

Regards
Hugh

Hugh MacLean · 23-08-2009, 05:08 PM

Post no. 47 refers.

Quote:

GALLANT MERCHANT SEAMEN

M.B.E.
Frederick John Muttitt, chief officer

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL
Henry Cyril Venables, gunner
Joseph Edward Bramwell, able seaman

The ship was attacked by enemy aircraft, one of which dived low, and crossed abaft the bridge. The keenness and efficiency of her gunnery was due to the chief officer, and under his direction Venables and Bramwell kept accurate fire, which destroyed one aircraft and damaged another.

Cargo ship CORMEAD official number 167369 built in 1939 for Wm Cory & Sons. These awards were made for an action off the East Coast on the 11th and 12th September 1941 when the ship was bombed and damaged by enemy aircraft.

The ship was later mined and sunk off Lowestoft on 25th December 1941.
Regards
Hugh

Hugh MacLean · 06-09-2009, 06:59 PM

Post no. 45 refers.

Quote:

GALLANT MERCHANT SEAMEN

M.B.E.
James Wylie Strang, chief engineer
William North, second engineer

The ship was torpedoes in darkness and at once caught fire. The master was badly hurt, and the second engineer, with help, brought him out of his cabin and put him on to a raft, from which he was later rescued. The chief engineer played smothering steam on the fire. He stopped the main engines and then saw to the getting away of the boats. Strang and North acted with courage and resource in the face of grave danger from fire and explosion.

Tanker BULYSSES official number 149818 built in 1927 for Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co.
10.9.1941: BULYSSES (Master Bartram Lamb) torpedoed and sunk by U-82 (Rollmann), in the North Atlantic S of Cape Farewell, in position 62.40N 38.50W while on a voyage from New York to Stanlow via Sydney CB 30.8.41. with a cargo of 9300 tons of gas oil, part of convoy SC 42.
Regards
Hugh

Hugh MacLean · 09-09-2009, 10:24 PM

Post no. 51 refers.

Quote:

MERCHANT NAVY AWARDS
BRAVERY AND SKILFUL SEAMANSHIP

O.B.E.
Captain T. Halvorsen, Master

The ship was in tow when she was attacked by a German bomber, which came at her in a shallow dive. The Master returned vigorous fire. The enemy attacked repeatedly but was finally driven off.

The Master showed skill and courage, and his defence saved the ship from damage.

Tanker BRITISH SPLENDOUR (Master Thomas Halvorsen) official number 162546 built in 1931 for the British Tanker Co.
Bombed and damaged by enemy aircraft off the Lizard on 20th February 1941.

BRITISH SPLENDOUR (Master John Hall) was later torpedoed and sunk by U-552 (Erich Topp) off the East Coast of the USA on 7th April 1942.
Regards
Hugh

geoff501 · 09-09-2009, 11:54 PM

Hugh,

A cousin of mine (by marriage) had an uncle who was awarded a BEM for services on SS Ohio which sailed from Gib to Malta. Do you have anything on this? He was listed in The Times New Years honours list but only by name. His name was Thomas Leach.

Geoff

Hugh MacLean · 10-09-2009, 05:46 PM

Hi Geoff,
I have a Thomas Leech (note spelling) who was an engine room storekeeper listed as being awarded the BEM (Civ). This was gazetted on 4 January 1944 - New Years Honours List.
He was serving on the tanker SAN VERONICO official number 168369 built in 1942 for Eagle Oil & Shipping Co. She survived the war.
I have no indication as to why he received this award but perhaps there may be details in the ship's logbook or perhaps his service records. I have a list of all the awards for OHIO but he is not mentioned. Hope that helps.
Regards
Hugh
ps was he born on 2nd June 1908?

geoff501 · 10-09-2009, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh MacLean

Hi Geoff,
I have a Thomas Leech (note spelling) who was an engine room storekeeper listed as being awarded the BEM (Civ). This was gazetted on 4 January 1944 - New Years Honours List.
He was serving on the tanker SAN VERONICO official number 168369 built in 1942 for Eagle Oil & Shipping Co. She survived the war.
I have no indication as to why he received this award but perhaps there may be details in the ship's logbook or perhaps his service records. I have a list of all the awards for OHIO but he is not mentioned. Hope that helps.
Regards
Hugh
ps was he born on 2nd June 1908?

Hugh,

That's the man. Storekeeper. Never was good at names. This is new information, many thanks.
The BEM was awarded, I believe to a number of Merchant men who volunteered to stay on board the heavily attacked tanked and take it to Malta, which they did. My cousin remembers age about 4 ish being taken to Buckingham Palace for this. Incidentally, I know from a cryptography paper that the SS Ohio was first spotted by Abwehr agents working in Spain, rather than aircraft as is given in some books (this was in a document at Kew) They had set up a bolometer to detect the heat from ships engines.

cheers,

geoff

Hugh MacLean · 10-09-2009, 06:35 PM

I am certainly aware of awards to non-crew of the OHIO. These awards were gazetted against the ship the seaman was serving in at the time (although the ship was not usually mentioned in the Gazette). For example, I know of two seamen from the DEUCALION sunk in the same convoy (Op Pedestal) that volunteered to go aboard the OHIO and were awarded medals for their actions. They were shown as being aboard DEUCALION but the awards were for duty on the tanker OHIO. SAN VERONICO was not part of this convoy so I am unsure as to why he would be aboard.
Regards

geoff501 · 10-09-2009, 07:25 PM

Hugh,

Thanks. Now there is a mystery
I'll see what I can find out. I've never heard the family mention SAN VERONICO. I'll send off an email.

cheers,

geoff

09-09-2009, 11:54 PM	#146 (permalink)
geoff501 Very Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,520	Hugh, A cousin of mine (by marriage) had an uncle who was awarded a BEM for services on SS Ohio which sailed from Gib to Malta. Do you have anything on this? He was listed in The Times New Years honours list but only by name. His name was Thomas Leach. Geoff __________________ The WW2 Commonwealth Casualty Search Engine: http://www.hut-six.co.uk/cgi-bin/search39-47.php "Well, the most important thing that was new was the idea of URI -- or URL. The idea that any piece of information anywhere should have an identifier, which will not only identify it, but allow you to get hold of it. That idea was the basic clue to the universality of the Web. That was the only thing I insisted upon." Tim Berners-Lee.

10-09-2009, 06:35 PM	#149 (permalink)
Hugh MacLean Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 678	I am certainly aware of awards to non-crew of the OHIO. These awards were gazetted against the ship the seaman was serving in at the time (although the ship was not usually mentioned in the Gazette). For example, I know of two seamen from the DEUCALION sunk in the same convoy (Op Pedestal) that volunteered to go aboard the OHIO and were awarded medals for their actions. They were shown as being aboard DEUCALION but the awards were for duty on the tanker OHIO. SAN VERONICO was not part of this convoy so I am unsure as to why he would be aboard. Regards Last edited by Hugh MacLean; 10-09-2009 at 07:54 PM.

10-09-2009, 07:25 PM	#150 (permalink)
geoff501 Very Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,520	Hugh, Thanks. Now there is a mystery I'll see what I can find out. I've never heard the family mention SAN VERONICO. I'll send off an email. cheers, geoff __________________ The WW2 Commonwealth Casualty Search Engine: http://www.hut-six.co.uk/cgi-bin/search39-47.php "Well, the most important thing that was new was the idea of URI -- or URL. The idea that any piece of information anywhere should have an identifier, which will not only identify it, but allow you to get hold of it. That idea was the basic clue to the universality of the Web. That was the only thing I insisted upon." Tim Berners-Lee.

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10-09-2009, 05:46 PM	#147 (permalink)
Hugh MacLean Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 678	Hi Geoff, I have a Thomas Leech (note spelling) who was an engine room storekeeper listed as being awarded the BEM (Civ). This was gazetted on 4 January 1944 - New Years Honours List. He was serving on the tanker SAN VERONICO official number 168369 built in 1942 for Eagle Oil & Shipping Co. She survived the war. I have no indication as to why he received this award but perhaps there may be details in the ship's logbook or perhaps his service records. I have a list of all the awards for OHIO but he is not mentioned. Hope that helps. Regards Hugh ps was he born on 2nd June 1908?

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