Merchant Navy awards

Post no. 27 refers.

See this thread for ref:
www.ww2talk.com/forum/research-material/19413-volunteers-eire-who-have-won-distinctions.html#post195852
:irishflag[1]:

Second Engineer Neale H.F. Mitchell, Merchant Navy, was awarded the
George Medal in July, 1941, for courage and resource when his ship was attacked by an enemy aircraft.

Second Engineer Mitchell comes from Banagher.

Neale H.F. Mitchell was the second engineer aboard the cargo ship INISHTRAHULL (John Kelly Ltd, Belfast) official number 163217. She survived the bombing and the war, being broken up in Preston in 1962.

Regards
Hugh

 

Post no.36 refers.
O.B.E.
Captain William Evans, master

The ship was torpedoed in darkness, but thanks to the good organization of Capt. Evans the whole crew got awy safely in three boats. They kept together for two days, until heavy weather dromve them apart. The master's boat was resuced after nine days and the others also reached safety.

Captain William Evans was the Master of cargo ship PACIFIC RELIANCE official number 161291 built in 1929 for Furness Withy.

On 12th October 1940, torpedoed and sunk by U-59 (Joachim Matz). All 55 crew survived.

Regards
Hugh

 

Post no.38 refers.


O.B.E.
Captain William E.R. Eyton-Jones

The ship picked up a lifeboat holding 25 survivors. Four days later she herself was attacked and sank within three minutes. Only one boat got away. The master took charge and resuced others form the sea until there were 58 people on board. Stores were supplemented from rafts, rations fixed, and a course set for a British possession. After 13 days, and a voyage of over 00 miles, all but two of the boatload reached safetly.

Captain William E.R. Eyton-Jones was the master of cargo ship BENVRACKIE (Ben Line Steamers (William Thomson & Co), Leith) official number 145975.
13th May 1941: Torpedoed and sunk by U-105 (Georg Schewe). On the 9th May she had picked up 25 survivors from the torpedoed LASSELL which was sunk by U-107 (Hessler) on 30th April 1941. 13 crew and 15 survivors of LASSELL were lost.

William Edward Rawlings Eyton-Jones, was awarded the Lloyds War Medal for bravery at sea.

Regards
Hugh

 

Hello Adam,

Intriguing to speculate what some would have been awarded had they been Royal rather than Merchant Navy.

I see where you are coming from and tend to agree.


I can see Nine Merchant GCs on here:
George Cross Database - Summary index table of all individual GC awards
Is that the official total?

Not sure if that is correct. There were 4 GC's awarded to British MN personnel during WWII. Also 1 Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM) and 10 Albert Medals (AM). The EGM's and AM's later revoked in favour of the GC so in effect 15 George Crosses.

Taken from Bernard de Neumann's site that you linked to:

"In 1993 a further attempt was made to rationalise the gallantry awards system, and presumably through governmental and Royal Navy ignorance, a major injustice to the Merchant Navy resulted from the harmonisation of the various grades of military awards: viz. as far as it affects this discussion:
(i) Eliminating the Distinguished Service Medal in favour of the Distinguished Service Cross, and, (ii) Eliminating the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal and awards of the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry, to create a new award the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (C.G.C.) in their place,

British Merchant Navy personnel were eligible for all Royal Navy gallantry awards: a right, which they earned through their unstinting devotion to duty in times of war, yet they wrre not consulted about these changes. At the present time the C.G.C. is not available to Merchant Navy personnel, despite the fact that appropriate ranks of the Merchant Navy were eligible for the D.S.O., and C.G.M.; this is remarkably unfeeling in the light of the acknowledged contributions and high casualty rate of the M.N. in many wars, including the Second World War in which the M.N. took higher casualties than any of the armed services, which drew special mention by H.M. The Queen on V.E. Day in 1995. At present (2002) merging of the third level awards, DSC, DFC, and MC, into one nominal award, DSC say, is under consideration. "

Regards
Hugh

 

Post no.41 refers.
O.B.E.
Captain Charles Victor Catling, master

M.B.E.
Percy George Ludlow, chief engineer

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL
Henry Mizen, able seaman
Edward Fullerton, fireman

The ship was mined and sank four hours later. The master received a head injury and was stunned. The chief engineer led a party to rescue men who were still below. THey were foiled however, by flooding and steam. Although still dazed, the master assumed control and saw the starboard lifeboat away. The boat with its survivors was quickly picked up by a destroyer. As he believed there still might be a chance to save those trapped in the ship the master called for volunteers. The chief engineer, Mizen, and Fullerton were amongst the first to answer the call. Although they returned, they found they could do nothing.


Captain Catlin, chief engineer Ludlow, able seaman Mizen and fireman Fullerton were were aboard the cargo ship BIRTLEY (Burnett & Co) official number 145523.

The British steamship Birtley struck a mine and sank on September 15th, 1941, on a voyage from London to the Tyne.

The Master and chief engineer were also awarded the Lloyds War Medal for Bravery at Sea.

Regards
Hugh

 

Post no.42 refers

John Cameron was the chief officer aboard the catapult armed merchant (CAM) 'EMPIRE WAVE' official number 168911.

London Gazette 3 February 1942 - For services when the ship was torpedoed and sunk and for his conduct during fourteen days in an open boat.
Cameron, John - Chief Officer - MBE(Civ)

Ungazetted award by Lloyds's
Cameron, John - Chief Officer - Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea.

2nd October 1941: Torpedoed and sunk by U-562 (Horst Hamm), part of the "Brandenburg" (district of Berlin) patrol group of eleven U-boats, in the Atlantic 500 miles E of Cape Farewell, in position 59.08N 32.56W while on a voyage from Sunderland to Halifax NS, in ballast, part of convoy ONS 19 comprising 49 ships. The Master, Capt Clement Porter Maclay, 19 crew and 9 RAF personnel were lost. 23 crew, 6 gunners and 2 RAF personnel were rescued by Icelandic trawler SURPRISE and landed at Patrick's Fjord, Iceland.

*Sources rechecked* to add:

John Cameron was also master of 'JANETA' official number 161894 built in 1929. Torpedoed by U-181 (Kurt Friewald) and sunk in the South Atlantic on 1st May 1944.

London Gazette 9th January 1944. For services and for his conduct during seventeen days in an open boat.
Cameron, John - Captain - OBE(Civ)

John was also the chief officer on 'OCEAN MIGHT' torpedoed by U-109 (Heinrich Bleichrodt) off the African Coast on 2/3rd September 1942. Ship’s lifeboat navigated to the Gold Coast (now Ghana).
My thanks to John's nephew George (Cameron) Hosking, from Bowmore, Islay for additional information.

Please see the attached below for details of the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea citation

 

Post no. 43 refers.

M.B.E.
Captain Alexander English, master

The ship was torpedoed in darkness and at once caught fire. During the getting away of boats she was heavily attacked, but was abandoned in good order. The master's boat made a journey of nine days, and it was due to his skill and leadership that all but two of his people reached safety.


Alexander English was master of cargo ship MACON official number 166308.
25.7.1941: Torpedoed and sunk by Italian submarine BARBARIGO (Murzi), in the Atlantic SW of Madeira, in position 32.48N 26.12W while sailing independently on a voyage from Liverpool to Freetown and Port Harcourt via Porta Delgado, Azores, for boiler repairs, with 2 stowaways and 4000 tons general cargo, dispersed from convoy OB 290 comprising 42 ships. The Master, Capt Alexander English, 15 crew and 1 stowaway were rescued by HM sloop LONDONDERRY, transferred to British ship LIBRARIAN and landed at Freetown. British ship CLAN MACPHERSON rescued 27 crew who were landed at Cape Town. 4 crew and 1 stowaway were lost.

Report by Fourth Officer William Close who was on watch

The torpedo struck the port side... a loud explosion and hatch boards falling all around. The two port boats were wrecked...but everyone, except two men got away without too much difficulty in the two starboard boats. The Chief Officer and one fireman were missing. The fireman was killed in the stoke-hold and we thought the Chief Officer had fallen down the hatch that had the covers blown off. I was in a boat with the Master [Captain A. English] and nineteen others, and the Second and Third Mates were in the other boat with a similar number. We pulled away from the ship which did not sink, but was set on fire by shellfire from the submarine. They did not appear to see us although we saw them. We believed later from pictures shown to us that the sub was Italian. The two boats became separated, and the Master decicded to try and sail back to the Azores, although this was against the prevailing winds. Apart from the Master and myself, no one had any experience of small-boat sailing...The weather was generally good and I do not recall actually living in the boat as an unbearable hardship. Water was the greatest concern and I constantly thought of spring wells and running water...The thought that we might not be picked up or make land and that we might die in the boat was one I did not dwell upon. I can remember thinking that it would cause great distress at home and that surely Providence would not allow this to happen, though towards the end I was beginning to lose this confidence.

We lost two men after about a week. Both became subject to delusions and one died in the boat. The other made some remark about going out for a while and stepped over the side before anyone could stop him. I was sailing the boat at the time and began to go about, but the Master said to carry on as the man in his disturbed state would affect others, which was a difficult decision but probably the right one.

We did sight one ship, a neutral, in daylight, but although we burned flares she did not see us. About 22.30 on the tenth day I was sailing the boat and sighted a darkened ship. We burned flares and were quickly picked up by HMS Londonderry, a convoy escort. We were extremely fortunate as the escort was well away from the convoy on the outside wing.

I think that had we not been rescued about that time things could have got much worse. We were still in fairly good shape but had started to reduce the water ration, and another ten days would have been serious indeed. We had made good about 120 miles towards the Azores which was less than half the distance, so the prospect of making land safely was remote.

Regards
Hugh

 

Post no. 71 refers.
O.B.E.
Captain John Edwin Watson, master

M.B.E.
Stanley Stuart Howie, second mate

A submarine attacked the ship with gunfire. The master put up a good fight, manoeuvring to keep the enemy astern, and returning the fire. The submarine was hit more than once. The master, who was wounded, gave orders to abandon ship. The submarine fired a torpedo and the ship began to sink quickly. All the boats but two had been wrecked, so rafts and any things taht would float were thrown overboard. Distress signals had been sent out and the survivors were rescued. The second mate fired the gun with great coolness.


Cargo ship "EUMAEUS" official number 145843 built in 1921 for A Holt and Co.
14.1.1941: Torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by Italian submarine COMMANDANTE CAPPELLINI (Todaro), in the Atlantic 120 miles WNW of Freetown, in position 08.55N 15.03W while sailing independently on a voyage from Liverpool to Singapore and Shanghai, with 400 service personnel and general cargo. The Master, Capt John E. Watson, 83 crew and 247 service personnel were rescued by HM trawlers BENGALI and SPANIARD and landed at Freetown. 18 crew, 15 gunners and 153 service personnel were lost. Capt J.E Watson was awarded the Lloyds War Medal for bravery at sea.

Regards
Hugh

 

Post no. 97 refers.

O.B.E.
Captain John Pascoe, master

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL
Walton Arnott, chief steward
Daniel John O. James, boatswain
Robert Walter Langdown, sailor

The ship was in a North Russian convoy and was sunk by German bombers, after having given a good account of herself with her defensive armament. The master showed high qualities of leadership throughout.

Arnott, James, and Langdown showed outstanding devotion to duty throughout the operation.

The British steamship BOLTON CASTLE official number 166285 (Master, John Pascoe) was bombed and sunk by German aircraft on July 5th, 1942, on a voyage from Reykjavik to North Russia. She was lost in the disastrous Russian convoy PQ 17. The Master and Chief Officer were also awarded the Lloyds War Medal for bravery at sea.

Regards
Hugh

 

Post no. 96 refers.

GALLANTRY AT SEA
HEROES OF THE MERCHANT NAVY

O.B.E.
Captain Cyril Maurice Andrews, master
Eric Arnold Hickling, chief officer

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL
George Otto Latter, lamp trimmer
Cyril Nichols, able seaman

The ship was sailing alone when she was hit by a torpedo. A new attack deveoloped, she was hit again and foundered. The master saw that she was abandoned in good order. Two of the four boats were destroyed by the explosion, but the master and the chief officer brought the remaining boats, though badly overloaded, through very bad weather until, after four days, they were picked up.

Latter and Nichols also did outstanding work.

Cargo ship WAIWERA official number 163665 built in 1934 for Shaw, Savill & Albion Co Ltd, Southampton.

29/6/1942: Torpedoed and sunk by U-754 (Hans Oestermann) about 450 miles north of the Azores. Six crew members and two passengers (military personnel) were lost. The master, 71 crew members, seven gunners and 18 passengers (military personnel) were picked up by OREGON EXPRESS and landed at New York.

The master, Cyril Maurice Andrews and chief officer, Eric Arnold Hickling were also awarded the Lloyds War Medal for bravery at sea.

Regards
Hugh