Merchant Navy Archive help (Updated)

Mr Bump

Mr Bump

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Sophia aka Paul
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I had a brief look a while ago and hit a few brick walls my grandfather Les was in the merchant navy , he sailed the Russian convoys during WWII
I have very little of his history and want to find out more, has anyone done this and had success?
 
I have looked at those resources before and my conclusion was there isn't an online searchable option for the times i was looking at 1938 up to about 1955 when i believe he left the MN
 
Mr Bump said:
I had a brief look a while ago and hit a few brick walls my grandfather Les was in the merchant navy , he sailed the Russian convoys during WWII
I have very little of his history and want to find out more, has anyone done this and had success?
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My dad was a gunnery officer on a heavy cruiser, on the Arctic Convoys sailing out of Scapa Flow (Scotland) obviously, protecting your grandad's ship. He told me about his trips to Murmansk, Vladivostok and Archangel. He saw injured Russian soldiers, from the front, playing football on stumps of legs. The crew had to take turns..just 5 minutes knocking the ice of the gun turrets and deck. It was the same for the merchant navy crews otherwise the ships would become unstable. They ran into a storm one day and ended up 200 miles off-course.I think the convoys and the war in the Far East were the most gruelling.

The convoys were attacked by Ju 88's out of Norway..along with the Heinkel 111. When I worked in Germany the grandfather of one of my German co-workers was one of the team that designed the Junkers 88. Another, Heinz Shaefer was a young man manning the anti-aircraft guns at Magdeburg and another was in Rommels Panzer division. It made me realise how utterly stupid, for want of a better term....war is.
 
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Not everyone is a fan of Jeremy Clarkson, but he's an excellent journalist . . . He did at least a couple of documentaries on WW2, one was about his father-in-law, who was awarded the VC and never mentioned it to anyone, another was on the infamous PQ17 convoy, it's on YouTube
 
Well I have found the main search for merchant seaman and only one is online and that is 1918-1941 now he was born in 1913 I wonder if he went in to the MN after 1941 which would have put him at over 23 which could be right, the later records are only viewable at KEW , also seem to have found out he was married 4 times which i never knew.
 
You might be able to find some info at ‘British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus’.

The British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus

This is a discussion forum and picture gallery for those interested in the British Merchant Navy and all things nautical
merchant-navy.net
Go to Articles > World Wars
Good luck.
 
Well lots of updates thought i would pass on, turns out Les was Army Artillary and got seconded to Destroyers as Defence I have just got a copy of his death Cert so i can now request his service career records.
 
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