Earley Man
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This was posted today on another site I visit because of my continued interest in Merchant Shipping and my service in the British Merchant Navy; which no longer exists in any meaningful way. I have edited it slightly to reduce its length and add some comments of my own.
Remembrance Sunday 14th November is when we remember all those who made sacrifices to enable us to live in freedom.
Whilst applauding all the various bodies and organisations who are preparing to honour all those who partook and made the ultimate sacrifice in World War I and World War II, I do hope that the Merchant Navies (MN) of all nations will not be forgotten. These played a very important part in both these conflicts, as well as other before and since. General Montgomery paid tribute when he said "Without the ships and brave men of the Merchant Navy we would have had neither men nor materiel with which to carry out our duties in defeating the enemy."
There was no phoney war period for these men, the first casualty of WWII was a British merchant vessel sunk on the day war broke out and the last casualty of the war in Europe was a merchant vessel sunk after the Armistice was signed. Over 10,000 British merchant seamen died before a single bomb was dropped on London. British and seamen other of nationalities continued to be casualties in the Pacific theatre which was still at war until VJ day in 1945.
It is now forgotten that numerous merchant vessels evacuated British and French Forces from Dunkirk, Le Have and St Nazaire. In the latter case a liner, Lancastria, was sunk with the lost of the greater part of her crew and somewhere between 3,000and 5,000 troops.
All these Merchant Service personnel were volunteers, returning to duty after having been sunk one or more times and experiencing unimaginable privations in open lifeboats for weeks on end. Until some time in 1941 their pay was stopped the day their vessel was sunk; hardly what you would call gratitude for their service.
Over 800 Merchant vessels were in the D-Day Landings and they didn’t make only one journey, they went backwards and forwards across the Channel to keep troops supplied with essential equipment and stores. They also served at other beach heads during the war in the Mediterranean performing the same service.
Please do not forget that over 35,000 British Merchant Navy personnel lost their lives in WWII, this figure does not include a further 11,600 who died in the period 1942-1944, after coming ashore, from injuries received whilst serving in convoys. Adding the seamen from Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Greece etc whose nations put their vessels under control of the UK Ministry of War Transport then the total loss of life exceeds 57,000, seamen who have no known grave but the oceans that their bodies reside in.
These merchant seafarers of all nations served on cargo ships to bring food and ordnance to troops at home and abroad as well as to the inhabitants of many countries, they served on oil tankers bringing the necessary fuel to keep fighter planes flying, there was no domestic production in the UK at that period, without the fuel there would have been no ‘Battle of Britain’ they fuelled bombers; they served on troop ships taking and returning men to and from theatres of war, they served on Hospital ships bringing sick and wounded home; they served on coastal vessels keeping power stations supplied to enable war materiel to be produced, not only did they serve on them, they sacrificed their lives on them. Supply ships were the prime target of the enemy at any beach head, without supplies, armies cannot operate.
In addition to those who sacrificed their lives in WWII it is a little known fact that many Merchant Navy personnel of all nationalities were held as prisoners of war in Germany, Japan and also in Central Africa by the Vichy French, many of whom did not survive those experiences.
As a proportion of the numbers engaged, the British Merchant Navy suffered a higher casualty rate than any of the armed services. At some periods during 1941 to 1943 the casualty rate exceeded 50%.
Although these men may never have their two minutes silence for duty served perhaps people will give them one minutes silence in their hearts and thank them for keeping our world alive.
"Across the seas where the great waves flow, there are no fields for the poppies to grow. It's a place where the seamen who died for their country, and for you, have found their peace." (First seen by me about ten years ago, I no longer have the authors name, but he was a merchant seaman.)
Remembrance Sunday 14th November is when we remember all those who made sacrifices to enable us to live in freedom.
Whilst applauding all the various bodies and organisations who are preparing to honour all those who partook and made the ultimate sacrifice in World War I and World War II, I do hope that the Merchant Navies (MN) of all nations will not be forgotten. These played a very important part in both these conflicts, as well as other before and since. General Montgomery paid tribute when he said "Without the ships and brave men of the Merchant Navy we would have had neither men nor materiel with which to carry out our duties in defeating the enemy."
There was no phoney war period for these men, the first casualty of WWII was a British merchant vessel sunk on the day war broke out and the last casualty of the war in Europe was a merchant vessel sunk after the Armistice was signed. Over 10,000 British merchant seamen died before a single bomb was dropped on London. British and seamen other of nationalities continued to be casualties in the Pacific theatre which was still at war until VJ day in 1945.
It is now forgotten that numerous merchant vessels evacuated British and French Forces from Dunkirk, Le Have and St Nazaire. In the latter case a liner, Lancastria, was sunk with the lost of the greater part of her crew and somewhere between 3,000and 5,000 troops.
All these Merchant Service personnel were volunteers, returning to duty after having been sunk one or more times and experiencing unimaginable privations in open lifeboats for weeks on end. Until some time in 1941 their pay was stopped the day their vessel was sunk; hardly what you would call gratitude for their service.
Over 800 Merchant vessels were in the D-Day Landings and they didn’t make only one journey, they went backwards and forwards across the Channel to keep troops supplied with essential equipment and stores. They also served at other beach heads during the war in the Mediterranean performing the same service.
Please do not forget that over 35,000 British Merchant Navy personnel lost their lives in WWII, this figure does not include a further 11,600 who died in the period 1942-1944, after coming ashore, from injuries received whilst serving in convoys. Adding the seamen from Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Greece etc whose nations put their vessels under control of the UK Ministry of War Transport then the total loss of life exceeds 57,000, seamen who have no known grave but the oceans that their bodies reside in.
These merchant seafarers of all nations served on cargo ships to bring food and ordnance to troops at home and abroad as well as to the inhabitants of many countries, they served on oil tankers bringing the necessary fuel to keep fighter planes flying, there was no domestic production in the UK at that period, without the fuel there would have been no ‘Battle of Britain’ they fuelled bombers; they served on troop ships taking and returning men to and from theatres of war, they served on Hospital ships bringing sick and wounded home; they served on coastal vessels keeping power stations supplied to enable war materiel to be produced, not only did they serve on them, they sacrificed their lives on them. Supply ships were the prime target of the enemy at any beach head, without supplies, armies cannot operate.
In addition to those who sacrificed their lives in WWII it is a little known fact that many Merchant Navy personnel of all nationalities were held as prisoners of war in Germany, Japan and also in Central Africa by the Vichy French, many of whom did not survive those experiences.
As a proportion of the numbers engaged, the British Merchant Navy suffered a higher casualty rate than any of the armed services. At some periods during 1941 to 1943 the casualty rate exceeded 50%.
Although these men may never have their two minutes silence for duty served perhaps people will give them one minutes silence in their hearts and thank them for keeping our world alive.
"Across the seas where the great waves flow, there are no fields for the poppies to grow. It's a place where the seamen who died for their country, and for you, have found their peace." (First seen by me about ten years ago, I no longer have the authors name, but he was a merchant seaman.)
