Hi all,
I'm researching my late father's time in the British Merchant Navy and a couple of quirky elements have emerged and I wanted to run them past others to disentangle some of the findings.
My father worked in the John Brown shipyards during the war as an apprentice electrician ('Reserved Occupation', I believe it was called - men who were in Reserved Occupations could not enlist in the forces whatsoever).
I am fairly sure that despite the Reserved Occupation regulations that the nature and reality of war meant that exceptions were made, particularly with regard to the Merchant Navy in the years where the U-Boats were on top.
He ended up on a Merchant vessel Glenstrae (Dolius) sometime between 1941 and at least 1946. We have photographs of him on this ship with a broken leg in a cast and a couple of other photographs that show him in uniform.
I've looked through the National Archive and found only bits of his records including his Seaman's Identity Card but the list of ships he served on was frustratingly left blank.
I downloaded the Glenstrae (Dolius) ship log and can pinpoint time periods he was on board matched with one particular incident (fatal weapon malfunction outside Bombay in 1941) but the paperwork (Crew List or Crew Agreement)does not have his name on it.
My questions are many and I set them out in a general, chatty way below:
Was it possible during WW2 for Merchant Ships to undertake journies with incomplete or inaccurate paperwork?
Is it plausible that due to late withdrawals through illness, death or 'other', that men were drafted onto ships? In other words, if the Royal Navy pull in skilled sailors from the Royal Navy Reserve or the Merchant Navy, does that mean men were pulled in from the shipyards themselves to replace the shortfall?
I've resigned myself to the most likely possibility that the records I am looking for may no longer exist and so therefore there will be no official medal recognition for my late father.
Nevertheless, I am intensely curious to learn more about the realities of the war at sea and how the supply chain of human resource operated in reality alongside the administrative element, which I suspect could be hit or miss.
I would be most grateful if anyone with a knowledge of the Merchant Navy, replied to this.
Also, suggested books, or even the name of a reputable researcher for hire, would be appreciated.