Help Please Merchant Navy

Discussion in 'The War at Sea' started by Patricia Sullivan, Sep 25, 2018.

  1. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Sorry, you lost me there - the original post suggests he was in Montevideo at the time.
     
  2. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    I think you need to look at the time line Kenneth. When RJW Sullivan was traveling DBS it was 1936 not war time. HIGHLAND MONARCH was never an armed merchant cruiser.
    DBS was never the responsibility of the government but it was the responsibility of the shipping company that employed him.
    Regards
    Hugh
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2018
  3. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    For Patricia,

    His CRS 10 - service record from Jan, 1941 should be held at Kew in piece BT 382/1740
    This file should contain a list of all his ships from Jan, 1941 until he leaves the service including dates and ports of engagement/discharge. Prior to 1941 you could use Crew Agreements to find out previous ships but lets get the CRS 10 first. I recommend you visit Kew to obtain this file as it is not an easy process to get online. If a visit is not an option we have Lee or Andy who will copy the file for a very reasonable cost. Any questions on this or on the document when you get it please feel free to ask.
    Regards
    Hugh
     
    CL1 likes this.
  4. Hi Hugh. Thank you very much. I am planning to go back to Kew to search for other family records so I can do this at the same time. I could be there for a long time with everything I need to find. Once again very many thanks to you and everyone who has taken the time to try and help me. Kindest regards Par.
     
    Hugh MacLean likes this.
  5. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Armed Merchant Cruisers, or armed merchant coffins as they were sometimes known, carried a wide variety of crews. They were always commanded by a Royal Naval officer. he could sometimes be RNR, that is to say a Merchant Navy Officer who was in the Reserve. Many of the deck and engineer officers could be the officers of the ship when she was taken over. The POs and rating would be a mixture of RN,RNVR and MN (T124). I seem to remember that the officer of watch on the HMS Jervis Bay was her former second officer, he died alongside Captain Fogarty Fegan (think I have the spelling right) RN. I did find a picture of the officers of an AMC once, which shows the mixture, I will try to find it
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2018
    Hugh MacLean likes this.
  6. Kenneth Berry

    Kenneth Berry Member

    Have tried the Doric Star so far have not found him on any crew list. Will go to crew agreements but that doesn't look to hopeful as quite a few records have been destroyed.
    His home address on the Highland Monarch:- 7, Shrewsbury Road London E7 also listed as Stewards Boy.Arrived London 7th April 1936. Whence arrived Buenos Aires. I am sure means his original port left from.If he was sick it gives maybe a starting point.
    The uniform is his Cap Badge definitely Ministry of Transport or Mercantile Marine Badge. The brass buttons in his Jacket I have seen on Royal Navy Cadets, Apprentices,but not Merchant Marine. Here's hoping for better findings next time. Ken B
     
  7. Hi Kenneth, it seems to get more confusing as to what he was doing during his time in the service. His home address was Talbot Road Northampton, but he did have relatives in London as that was where he was born so could have used a London address as his base. Thank you for your time and consideration it is very much appreciated. Kind regards Pat
     
  8. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Kenneth,
    Cadet R V Martin with Merchant Navy cap badge and brass buttons 1954.
    Roy
     

    Attached Files:

    Hugh MacLean, Tricky Dicky and CL1 like this.
  9. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    I know I am being pedantic, but we might as well tell the correct story:

    Until after the Great War the service had been known as the Mercantile Marine. In 1919 a standard uniform was authorized. Later it was renamed the British Merchant Navy, with the Sovereign becoming Master of the Merchant Navy and the Fishing Fleets. Then, and for years afterwards, it was referred to as The Merchant Service.


    It never was a navy, but the title and the uniform were decided upon because of a problem that had occurred during the First World War. Captain Charles Fryatt, Master of the Railway Packet Brussels, had evaded and attempted to ram U-boats. When the Germans finally captured him they held that, as he was a civilian, he could not claim protection under the rules of The Hague Convention. He was tried in Belgium and shot that evening. In 1919 his body was exhumed and brought back to England; after a memorial service in St Paul's Cathedral he was reburied at Dovercourt, Harwich.
     
    Hugh MacLean and Tricky Dicky like this.

Share This Page