Death by Enemy Action

[Ken Boyce]

Does anyone know in what legal format a UK death due to Enemy Action is recorded ie Is there an equivelent to a Registered Death Cert issued by some Agency.

eg My father was killed March 1941 whilst serving in the Merchant Navy. The only record of this that I have is my personal knowledge of the Citation on the Tower Hill Memorial and on the CWG Website

Surely there is more to this than that - what am I and others like me missing. What are/is the primary reference.

This subject seems vague and covers both civilian and military personnel
Or am I suffering from one of those more and more frequent Senior
Moments!

Curious in Canada

[Geoffers]

eg My father was killed March 1941 whilst serving in the Merchant Navy. The only record of this that I have is my personal knowledge of the Citation on the Tower Hill Memorial and on the CWG Website. Surely there is more to this than that - what am I and others like me missing. What are/is the primary reference.
Deaths at sea in WW2 should be in either the Naval War Deaths Index 1939-1945 - or, Marine Death Indices 1903-1965. These are available on 1837 online.

Deaths 1891-1964 are indexed and held at The National Archives (TNA) in BT334. Inquiries into deaths at sea are held in BT341 at TNA. There is a roll of honour for merchant seamen who died in WW1 and WW2 and this is in BT339 at TNA.

There should be a research guide on TNA's website, which may help you.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[Ken Boyce]

Thanks Geoffers

For the past 2 evenings I've been trolliong the 1837 index site looking for family BMDs I failed to notice the marine refs you quoted because I had assumed that there would be a death cert issued for my father and that it would be included in the main index - and surprise surprise no death listed.

I then assumed that as the death occurred at sea that the Civil Reg District of domicile was not relevent and was about to try the Port of vessel registory and so on - thanks for putting me on the right track

What a useful post 1901 resource the online complete BMD Index is and in my opinion worth the price (there is a 20% bonus right now) I've been using it over the past few weeks in conjunction with my personal knowledge to help put a framework together of my post 1901 family history so that my Canadian wife and kids will at least have the rough plumbing in place should anything happen to me before I get around to completing the job

I'm off now to followup on your clues

[Ken Boyce]

Well that expedition was short lived

The 1837 online Index site does not contain the actual Overseas, WW! and WW2 etc. Indices It only contains a ref to the list of indices available at the PRO (Unless I've missed something).

Well nobody said this hobby is easy......

[Peter Goodey]

"The 1837 online Index site does not contain the actual Overseas, WW! and WW2 etc"

I think it does!

Select "Search Overseas" then specify "Deaths" and select the relevant indexes.

[Ken Boyce]

Thanks It works fine!

Previously I entered via the help window and just got the listing and missed the Index window

I must have been having one of those senior moments!

Regards
|banghead|

[PamG]

I couldn't find a record of my great-uncle's death at sea while in the Royal Navy, in 1837 online, despite the fact that I knew when he was killed. So I went straight to the GRO and ordered a death certificate online, and received it without any problem.

PamG