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Thread: Crew lists

  1. #1
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    Default Crew lists

    Not sure if i'm on the right part of the forum. But my father-in-law was on the Surat during WW2. It was torpedoed on 6th May 1941. Luckily my father-in-law, Lawrence survived. I then find him on the Anselm arriving in Liverpool 4th June 1941. The Anselm was torpedoed on the 5th July. I'm trying to find out if Lawrence would have been on that ship or if after leaving the Anselm on the 4th June he got on to another ship.
    I thought the best thing to do would be to get a list of ships Lawrence had been on plus dates and engagements
    so i tried the National archives but it is so complicated to get where you want to get.
    Can anyone help or is there anyone with knowledge about how things work in the Merchant Navy.
    Any help gratefully received. Thanks

  2. #2
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    Default

    Hi Susan,

    What a small world.
    Firstly, my dad was on the Anselm when it was torpedoed, but survived. I don't know if mum knew the name of the ship but fortunately I was reading an article about the sinking and how the chaplain, the Reverend (Herbert) Cecil Pugh was lowered into the hold, and my dad said to me 'I saw him go into the hold'. As a still-at-school teenager it didn't make that much impression on me, but many years later I was able to go to the Newspaper Library in Colindale and I managed to find the article again and the name of the ship.

    Secondly, yours is the second query today about Merchant Navy records.
    From what Timbo says in post #5, records are most likely to be held at The National Archives at Kew.
    https://www.british-genealogy.com/th...874#post668874

    Whilst typing this answer, something has floated into my brain cell about crew lists and the National Maritime Museum.
    A little google found this
    https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/resea...ple-crew-lists

    I'll leave you to read which bits you deem to be relevant.

    Pam
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  3. #3
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    A little known gem of a website and good friends of ours, the Icelandic 'uboat.net' have crew lists sometimes of sunk ships (by U Boats) here's the Anselm:
    https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship1030.html

  4. #4
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    Thank you for that link, Tim.

    Pam
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  5. #5
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    i tried the National archives but it is so complicated to get where you want to get.
    On the National Archives home page, one of the first clickable links is "Help with your research". Click that and then select "Military and Maritime". Tick "Merchant Navy" and click "Apply".

    Is that complicated?

  6. #6

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    I answered this question here about 3 years ago See the following thread #9 specifically - https://www.british-genealogy.com/th...Navy-Records.?
    The advice still stands.
    Regards
    Hugh

  7. #7
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    I answered this question here about 3 years ago
    Well remembered, Hugh! You did indeed answer it very fully. I wonder why the questioner didn't follow it up.

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