Press Release 1

[Administrator]

Press release:
3rd September 2008: Merchant Navy Day – National
We will remember them all.

On September 3rd 1939, a few hours after war had been declared against Germany, the first shipping casualty occurred with the sinking of the Donaldson Line passenger ship, Athenia, and the loss of 112 passengers and crew. For almost six years there was barely a day went by without the loss of merchant ships and their crews.

7th September 2008: The Merchant Navy Day Commemorative Services And Re-union at Tower Hill, London

This Annual service is held on the Sunday in September nearest to Merchant Navy Day, 3rd September, in memory of Merchant Seafarers who died in World Wars I and II and in conflicts up to the present day. After the service, a "Sea of Red Ensigns" will be placed in the lawn at the Sunken Garden, in memory of lost Merchant Seafarers.

A band of HM Royal Marines will lead the parade of Merchant Navy Standards and Standards of other Associations, followed by serving and retired Merchant Seafarers with other Organisations, leaving Mark Lane (Great Tower Street) for Trinity Square Gardens at 12.30 hours. The Principal Guest, Admiral Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC, will take the salute upon arrival of the Parade in Trinity Square Gardens. The multi-faith Commemorative Service and wreath-laying will be held at the Merchant Navy Memorial.

Start Time: 12:30 hours

Venue: Merchant Navy Memorial, Trinity Square Gardens,
Tower Hill, London EC3N 4AA

Nearest Tube Station: Tower Hill

Nearest Rail Stations: Fenchurch Street and Tower Gateway (DLR)

Attendance Information: Everyone is invited to attend. Medals may be worn

Contact: TM Brant, National Secretary, Merchant Navy Association. Tel: [phone]

or E:mail: [e-mail]

“Let those that come after see to it that his name is not forgotten”

Not all that would want to attend, can make Tower Hill, with age and illness and the travel etc, maybe expense also. I checked the National news on most TV channels on my return home from the Merchant Navy’s Remembrance Day Service in London on Sunday 2nd September 2007 as most years and scoured the press the next day September 3rd, "The Designated Day" that the Merchant Navy Association, took on the Government and red tape to achieve. Very little again was reported via the Media.

[Administrator]

Winston Churchill

'But for the Merchant Navy who bring us the food and munitions of war, Britain would be in a perilous state and indeed, without them, the Army, Navy and Air Force could not operate'.

“The gratitude owed to these men is finally being recognized with the introduction of the official 'Merchant Navy Day', designated the 3rd of September every year, the first one was held in September 200”. Winston Churchill said on 27 January 1942

They Bore the Brunt

By Captain Joe Earl

They sailed the seas to bear the brunt,
They steamed the courses laid,
Ten thousand miles their battle front,
Unbacked and undismayed.
Fine seamen these of our great race,
From your seaport or town,
They risked their lives with danger faced
Until their ship went down.
Remember them - they held the line,
Won freedom on the way,
Remember them - their life was thine -
On merchant navy day.

J.Earl

It is hard to believe that when a merchant ship was sunk, the seaman’s pay stopped on the day of the sinking. He did not receive any more pay until he joined another ship. The seaman was given 30 days survivor’s leave, dated from the day his ship was sunk. This leave was unpaid. It only meant that he didn’t have to report back to the pool for 30 days. If he spent 10 or 15 days in a lifeboat, or on a life raft, that time in the boat was counted as survivor’s leave.

There were many merchant seamen who joined the Navy because it was extremely short of experienced seamen. They joined under what were known as T124X and T124T agreements. These men were in naval uniforms on naval ships under the White Ensign, with naval officers and subject to naval discipline. They received naval rates of pay. At the end of the war, they were not allowed to claim any compensation or any benefits, because they were discharged as merchant seamen.

In 1999, for the first time, members of the Merchant Navy were 'allowed' to take part in the national Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph. They were not officially invited previously because they had not been, what is termed as, 'under command'. However, in that very significant year members of the MNA marched at the event and were proudly led by the MNA's National Chairman at that time.

Perhaps it should be noted that had the armed services waited, as long for the Merchant Navy has done, for a signal to join them in their military gatherings in the North Atlantic, Western Approaches, Korea and the Falklands, there may very well have been no national service of remembrance to attend. We ask all in the Media to assist in remembering those that kept our Life Line open, those that died to save us all.

[Administrator]

Together We will Remember Them!

'Sea of Remembrance' 2008

Last year the Sailors’ Society planted 800 Red Ensign Flags for the Merchant Navy Day Service at Trinity Gardens. Each flag bore its own heart-warming message. Some remembered their loved ones lost during the war, others wanted to recognise our seafarers of today. The occasion was incredibly moving with cadets and veterans side by side on their knees together planting the flags. It was a truly remarkable sight.

This year they are encouraging more people to become involved by sending their messages on Red Ensign Flags. They wish to give the Merchant Navy seafarers the recognition they deserve.

They invite you to write a message on the reverse of a Red Ensign Flag (supplied in the pack you request) in memory of a loved one, friend or colleague, or someone who is presently away at sea.

Today, it is not unusual for seafarers to be separated from loved ones for up to 12 months, with severe restrictions limiting access to phones or internet. The Sailors’ Society provides a life-line for seafarers now, as it did during the War years.

Contact THEM NOW for your Red Ensign Flag pack.

Within the pack you will find a small card flag on which you can write your message and return it to them. They will then plant the flag on your behalf at Trinity Gardens on 7th September 2008.

[e-mail]

If you cannot make Tower Hill on the Merchant Navy Annual Service Day, please pass on a message or remember via the:
Sailors’ Society

350 Shirley Road
Southampton
Hampshire
SO15 3HY
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

General Enquries: [e-mail]
Accounts Department: [e-mail]
Chaplains Department: [e-mail]
Fundraising Department: [e-mail]

[Administrator]

CWGC

Although we applaud the work of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission and all bodies and individuals that attempt to remember, there is a failing that is not widely known. There are many names at Tower Hill, listed on plaques by ships name and crew. These are in both WWI and WWII sections and there is also a Falklands Memorial.

Nothing wrong with that, it is sad to see the names of the recorded lost Merchant Seamen that perished to save us all. The sad fact is that there are thousands of names and when we say "LEST WE FORGET" we are led to believe that this means all. Tower Hill would have to be enlarged immensely if this were to be the case.

The CWGC etc remembers and cares for the memorials and graves (if by chance there is / was a grave above the waves). However, unlike the armed forces, whom are remembered / commemorated regardless of event, the Merchant Navy has to meet strict criteria to be included.

An airman that died in a car crash would be commemorated, an RN sailor on home leave perhaps the same, a soldier in similar circumstances. But, a Merchant Seaman, had to perish in or due to a war time act, or have been involved in a wartime activity and died from the result etc of such enemy action to receive the same honour.

There are many, very many seamen, not commemorated at Tower Hill or by the CWGC etc. It may not be a failing of the organizations, whom I am certain, would like to remember all and not just some. But, a change in Government policy would have to be sought to remember all of our MN losses..

We shall remember them "LEST WE FORGET" should mean all of them. Over 40,000 seamen lost their lives in WWII. Men whose wages were stopped the moment a torpedo struck their ship. Men who still vividly remember the horrors of watching their shipmates drown or horribly burn to death when ships carrying high octane blew up in a fiery ball. Men who survived and returned home only to sign on and ship out yet again to face the enemy with guts and determination to make their heroic contribution to the war effort.

No matter what enemy action they faced, or medals won, in both World Wars, to die in port would not fit the criteria to be commemorated even today and the brave young men of the forgotten service remain forgotten. Some survived the First World War and much action, survived attacks in the Second World War and experiences that may have led to an early loss of life. But, without a direct hit from an Heinkel or a U.boat torpedo for example, they simply do not fit the official criteria.

Even today bereaved families struggle to gain commemoration for loved ones, frankly those that do not meet the criteria stand little chance of such commemoration. If by chance you can prove the case, there is now a delay in adjudication. An official presides over RN, RAF and Army claims to commemoration, although apparently there is no official to decide on the fate of an MN claim. We fear you will find that as a Nation, WE DO NOT REMEMBER ALL THAT SERVED and that is a National disgrace. I will be at Tower Hill again this year and attempt in my own way to remember all, Criteria met or not.

Not much respect still for brave men that put their lives on the line to feed a beleaguered country desperate for food and a war machine hungry for supplies. One survivor told how they even had to pay for the tiny MN badge that was the only recognition they had that they were part of the serving manpower. Yet another survivor told me how giggling girls would approach them on leave and present them with a white feather. They would be asked if MN stood for Maternity Nurse.

It has been said that if anyone was to see a “Silver Badge” with MN in an antique shop or a car boot sale – buy it. It would have been worn by a Merchant Navy Veteran who will sadly never be known. Perhaps thrown out by house clearance with not a thought, or, perhaps given away by a distant relative who did not know the significance of the letter MN. (Today most people would not know what those letters mean ! )

[Administrator]

“SILVER BADGE”

When we look at the restless sea--- Remember Them,
For they are not restless anymore--- They are at last
At peace in the never ending restless sea.
They gave so much.
By Dave Molyneux.
Secretary of the The Blue Funnel Association

To those who served - our thanks
In Memoriam
Merchant Navy 1939-1945

No cross marks the place where now we lie
What happened is known but to us
You asked, and we gave our lives to protect
Our land from the enemy curse
No Flanders Field where poppies blow;
No Gleaming Crosses, row on row;
No Unnamed Tomb for all to see
And pause -- and wonder who we might be
The Sailors’ Valhalla is where we lie
On the ocean bed, watching ships pass by
Sailing in safety now thru’ the waves
Often right over our sea-locked graves
We ask you just to remember us.


H.M. The King’s Message. September. 1939

"In these anxious days I would like to express to all Officers and Men and in The British Merchant Navy and The British Fishing Fleets my confidence in their unfailing determination to play their vital part in defense. To each one I would say: Yours is a task no less essential to my people’s experience than that allotted to the Navy, Army and Air Force. Upon you the Nation depends for much of its foodstuffs and raw materials and for the transport of its troops overseas. You have a long and glorious history, and I am proud to bear the title “Master of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets” I know that you will carry out your duties with resolution and with fortitude, and that high chivalrous traditions of your calling are safe in your hands. God keep you and prosper you in your great task."

We note that the SPVA, as the joined-up Vets and pensions agency is now called, have been instrumental in helping with funding for obtaining the lists of names of all merchant seafarers who died during WW1 and WW2. They have also agreed that once the names of those not yet commemorated have been found they will help present a case to the CWGC for a change in the Commissions Charter to allow those named to be properly commemorated. The MNA then have to obtain the agreement of 16 other Commonwealth countries for a change in the Charter but the wind is with them. We understand that the Merchant Navy Association (National) are working on and strive to do all they can, not to appease but to remember.

[Administrator]

A “Red Ensign Day”.

Qoute: “It is easy not to know: while in London last week, I saw out the corner of my eye, large stone letters M.N. I am ashamed to say I did not know of the Monument in Trinity Square to the lost ships and men of W.W.2 I recognized many ships names, as the next ones built with those names were part of my life at sea. I could have spent a few hours looking at all the names; I know if I had been around in those days, perhaps I may have been one of them. I am glad the M.N. was commemorated in such a monument. Mick Wisher.

Could our National Press / Media, each not afford one reporter to cover our “Flag day”, a day of remembrance, a specific day to remember those that died to save us all. To honour and remember the brave men, that perished to keep our countries lifelines open. I know of many, that cannot make London, but would not miss a local service, Nothing wrong with that, although for many even the local remembrance is a struggle to attend and these brave people, will continue to attend for as long as possible.

But unless I missed reports, cannot read every paper or see every bulletin etc. Where was the press? The media? Where was the support from the editors and reporters? Etc? What saddened many was to see no reports on this “ DAY OF TRIBUTE"

Paul Flynn MP stated “There was one service that lost one in three of all who took part. In total there were 24,000 deaths inflicted on those serving in the Merchant Navy. Most were on the Atlantic convoys. They kept Britain fed and ensured our survival. It is impossible to overemphasise the supreme importance of their role. But it is still unrecognised by the mass of the public. Yet, today's tribute to them was largely ignored by press and public”.

The Merchant Navy Day Commemorative Services and Re-union is now held on the Sunday nearest to Merchant Navy Day, 3rd September every year. This Annual service in memory of Merchant Seafarers who died in World Wars I and II and in conflicts up to the present day. “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them”

We look upon our press and news media to report such important events, to inform the public and educate those that do not know. Possibly to tell those that do not care, why they should. In the main there are a reasonable amount of reports on some aspects of the part played by merchant seamen in the defence of our nation. But! what a time to forget? The very day / time that we should all remember. Winston Churchill stated himself that the war would or could not be won, without the actions of these brave men.

I stood next to a young boy at Tower Hill, he watched the ceremony with the order of service open in front of him, tears in his eyes, he attempted to recite all responses to prayers and sing every song. All is not lost and with luck, future generations "Will Not Forget" with luck our National papers and TV news will join us in remembering this year and then thereafter in memory of the Men, Women and Children " Still Not Home From The Sea.

We simply ask all local or National Paper Editors or news media, not to forget this year, or any year.

[Administrator]

SS Trevessa

Even In 1923, (not within war years) the merchant freighter SS Trevessa sank, its resourceful seamen crossed 1,700 miles of the Indian Ocean in two standard 26-foot British "Board of Trade" lifeboats and arrived safely on Rodrigues Island, northwest of Mauritius.

And many remember Marlag Milag Nord, the German POW camp was initially a Concentration camp and only moved to a new site in Westertimpke following protests from the Red Cross Protecting Powers.

Marlag (MARine LAGer) held Royal Navy Prisoners while Milag (Marine Internee LAGer) was for merchant seamen, passengers and some other interned civilians. The camps were located close to one another but had little to do with one another apart from sharing the camp hospital (in Milag) a common cemetry and a separate shower block (from which the Albert R.N. escape took place)

During WW II some 4,500 seamen and civilian passengers endured illegal captivity in this camp.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Marlag und Milag Nord was a German Prisoner-of-war camp in Military District X, located near Westertimke, Germany.

There were over 5,000 Allied Merchant seamen captured by the German forces during World War II. Some 4,500 of these mariners were held at the Merchant Navy Internment camp at Westertimke, near Bremen, Germany.

Milag (for Marine Internierten Lager), was first created as one of two compounds inside Sandbostel Stalag X-B,Concentration camp, south of Bremervorde, Germany, for the purpose of housing captured Merchant seamen. An adjoining compound, Marlag (for Marine Lager) was for captured Royal Navy personnel.

Between the Autumn of 1941 and the Spring of 1942 the occupants of these compounds were transferred to Marlag und Milag Nord, two separate but adjacent camps at Westertimke, 20 kilometres away. It is this virtually self-contained Merchant Navy POW camp that was referred to by the Merchant Seamen as MILAG, their previous compound in the concentration camp being generally known just as Sandbostel or Stalag X-B.

On 27 January 1945 Allied POW's from Stalag Luft III at Sagan in Poland were force marched in sub-zero temperatures hundreds of miles westwards towards their destination of Spremberg in Germany. At Spremberg they were loaded onto cattle trains, seventy to a truck without windows. One of their destinations was Marlag Nord, where they arrived after a three day journey to Bremen. The Red Cross had already condemned Marlag Nord as unfit and insanitary.[1]

[Administrator]

“Lest we Forget”.

They flew the red ensign for us…

Statistics are often cold and unmeaning but of the 4,996 merchant ships lost by the Allies, 2,284 flew the Red Ensign and of the 62,933 seafarers who perished, 31,908 were serving aboard these ships.

Incredible as it may sound today, it is a fact that when a merchant ship was sunk the pay of those serving in her stopped that day – and pay was not resumed until a seafarer “signed on” another vessel. Following a sinking, seafarers were given one month’s “survivors leave” - without pay – but anytime spent in a lifeboat or in a raft was deducted from the leave period – provided the seafarer survived! On the Murmansk run, survival time in a lifeboat was measured in minutes rather than hours due to the intense cold. (British & International Sailors’ Society : http://www.biss.org.uk)

Let me tell you why it’s so important to remember our merchant seafarers on 3rd September …..

Merchant ships are not built for war and merchant seafarers are not trained for war but none of this prevents both ships and the men and women manning them from responding to the “call of arms” when their country is in danger. Even today, merchant seafarers are often called upon to trade on hazardous waters but the hazards associated with this – not to mention the everyday hazards of seafaring – are accepted as being “part of the job”.

Let’s go back to the Second War for stories and statistics that speak eloquently of the danger that is ‘all in a days work’ for our seafarers. The Donaldson Line passenger vessel MV ATHENIA sailed from Glasgow on 1st September 1939, bound for Montreal, with some 1,100 passengers leaving to escape an inevitable war.

At 11.15 hrs on 3rd September 1939 Britain declared war on Germany And the Master of MV ATHENIA – now 250 miles northwest of Inishtrahull, Northern Ireland – opened his sealed instructions from the Admiralty and as darkness fell, the ship introduced her “blackout regulations” regime and switched off navigation and deck lights.

On that same evening – rather less than 12 hours after war was declared – MV ATHENIA was torpedoed by the U-30 and sank with the loss of 112 LIVES – 19 of them crew members – the first Merchant Navy casualties of World WarII.

By a savage irony, the last man to die in that war was also a merchant seafarer whose ship was attacked in the North Atlantic three days after the European war had “ended” by a submarine who had not received the recall message.

[Administrator]

Winston Churchill

In July 1941 the Rt Hon Winston Churchill spoke these words to the Country, "The Merchant Navy, with Allied comrades night and day, in weather fair or foul faces not only the ordinary perils on the sea, but the sudden assaults of war from beneath the waters or from the sky. Your first task is to bring to port the cargoes vital for us all at home or for our armies abroad and we trust your tenacity and resolve to see this stern task through."

"We are a seafaring race and we understand the call of the sea. We account you in these hard days worthy successors in a tradition of steadfast courage and high adventure, and we feel confident that that proud tradition of our Island will be upheld today whenever the ensign of a British merchantman is flown".

This year and then after, we at Tregenna will write and remind the press in advance and hope that Every Editor and News Broadcaster Will Do “His or Her Duty” : “Lest We Forget”
Her Name Was Tregenna is a site created as a tribute to Captain Care of Barry, South Wales and the men of one particular ship, though it now carries additional material.

MERCHANT NAVY DAY - September 3rd

Take a little care this day and glance above the tiles,
Perchance to see a flagpole visible for miles,
Atop of it a red flag proudly whipping tight,
A Merchant Navy ensign flying there by right.

From important buildings as well as from the sea.
It’s flown to honour mariners and shipping history,
Sailing through the years, transporting all the freight,
Conserving of the lifelines keeping Britain great.

If you glance aloft and see with knowing eye,
A `duster` at the masthead when you're passing by,
Please inform your offspring while going on to say,
A debt is owed to seamen under colours flown today.

Joe Earl

[Administrator]

A quote from the British Merchant Navy website –

Over 40,000 men of the British Merchant Navy were lost between 1939-1945. For our Merchant sailors there was no phony war that the people of Britain lived through in those early days.


Has much changed ?

Merchant shipping: The fourth arm of Defence?

Author: Michael Asteris. Principal Lecturer in Economics, University of Portsmouth,
Associate of the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies, University of Southampton

Although the merchant fleet fulfils the key criteria of mobility in the post-Cold War security environment, as demonstrated so clearly during the earlier Falklands campaign in which the merchant fleet played a vital role in shouldering the logistics burden of military action, profitability remains the prime concern of a shipping industry which has been in decline since 1975. Dr Asteris argues that it is time the State acknowledged the importance of the merchant fleet in defence, and offered incentives to rebuild the industry as part of its wider responsibility to the nation's security.

There are many issues regarding the lost souls of the “ British Merchant Navy” all they asked was: “Let those that come after see to it that my name is not forgotten” Can our National News Media assist in this ?

Please. Can we ask that you attempt to assist, that bereaved families whom even today struggle to gain commemoration for loved ones, frankly those that do not meet the criteria stand little chance of such commemoration. even though all shipping was conscripted into government service.

If by chance you can prove the case, there is now a delay in adjudication. An official presides over RN, RAF and Army claims to commemoration, although apparently there is no official to decide on the fate of an MN claim. We fear you will find that as a Nation, WE DO NOT REMEMBER ALL THAT SERVED and that is a National disgrace. Surely an emminent body such as the Merchant Navy Association should be able to adjudicate this ……..?

CWGC Rules

UK Merchant Seamen lost during WWII should, according to the rules, only to be commemorated when they are lost as a result of increased war risk and the loss was confirmed by the Registrar General of Seaman and Shipping. Unfortunately the RSS sometimes did not forward the details of some Merchant Seamen to be considered. The National Merchant Navy Association are at the moment compiling all the data held by the CWGC of Merchant Seamen who died outside of their remit. It is hoped all these men will be placed in a separate register and recorded accordingly.

A HMSO study published in 1955 "Merchant Shipping & the Demands of War" states that as many as 11,600 Merchant Seamen between 1942-1944 died shortly after leaving their ship, or whose lives were permanently damaged, either physically or mentally.

[Administrator]

Unfortunately unlike the three armed services who received war grave status no matter how the individual died, either war related, accident or illness, this was not the case for Merchant Seamen. A Merchant Seaman that died due to an accident does not qualify for war grave status and is categorised as a "non war related cause".

The subject is somewhat of a quagmire as numerous (mainly officers) of the Merchant Navy who have been buried ashore and granted war grave status with the last ship they served on engraved on their headstone even though their deaths were not war related. It was the Government of the time who laid down the rules which are covered by strict guidelines for the CWGC to follow, and until any future Government decides to change the rules there is little anyone can do.

The CWGC do not charge anyone for inquiries. I have contacted them on numerous occasions and have put many names forward who have been missed from their remit. One has just recently been successful and is waiting to be added to Tower Hill, another 21 are up for consideration and pending.

To qualify for War Grave status and CWGC listing a person had to die both whilst on duty and of a war cause or the increased threat brought on by war. Death due to accident, illness or marine disaster would not qualify unless it met both these conditions.

It would be up to the enquirer to provide evidence to the CWGC. You can contact the CWGC for free and they will acknowledge your email immediately but they are running about 6 weeks of a backlog before they can give you a specific answer to your question. www.cwgc.org/contact.asp?menuid=7

If he had been a member of HM Forces he would have been commemorated by the CWGC even if killed in an accident.

"Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten".

All Plaques & medals were intended to kept by the families & their descendants, in the words of the Memorial Scroll: "Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten". In this mission many families failed & sadly this continues, more so as the modern trend of fragmented families & attendant distractions reduce those feelings of connection, debt, honour, sacrifice & remembrance.

The Details

A large number of "The Fallen" are not commemorated by the Commission. They have no known graves and their names do not appear on any of the memorials to the Missing.

As time passes, more and more cases of uncommemorated men are coming to light, with the majority being unearthed by military researchers rather than their next of kin. This increase can be attributed to a number of things: the availability of servicemen's records of service, the Commission's Debt of Honour register on the Internet, and the researchable database "Soldiers Died in the Great War" on CD-ROM. Therefore now, as never before, a researcher can have a wealth of material relating to a particular man at their fingertips within seconds.

[Administrator]

In the event of a researcher contacting the Commission asking about the possibility of an un-commemorated man, they must first pay £2 to have a casualty check undertaken. Should this reveal what is suspected, they are informed that for commemoration to take place, a number of things need to be provided. Again the researcher must bear all costs of procurement. These items include:

1) A copy of the man’s service record if it is available. If not then an official statement is required confirming that it does not exist.
2) Copy of the death certificate.
3) Letter from the regiment or unit with which the man served giving details they record in respect of the casualty, or a statement of fact that they have no information relating to him.
4) Copy of the mans entry on the relevant medal roll showing medal entitlement, which is held at the Public Record Office, Kew, London.
5) If death occurred in the UK, details of the location of his grave.
6) Plus if possible, any other supporting evidence such as a rubbing of his death plaque, a memorial card or newspaper obituary.

On the other hand, should the next of kin contact the Commission about the same man, the Commission will carry out the investigation, acquiring all the necessary information at their own cost.

What has happened to the "Free of Charge" commemoration that used to be applied across the board regardless of whom the notifying party was, be they next of kin or researcher? It appears from this change of direction, that the Commission is now in the business of placating the relatives of un-commemorated men, whilst deterring researchers by asking for a mountain of information before they will continue with commemoration. It is wrong for the organisation that was put in place to care for the memory of ALL of our war dead to adopt this stance.
As the roll of uncommemorated men continues to grow it becomes more evident that a problem exists.

NEWPORT'S war dead will never be forgotten thank to one man's efforts.

Earlier this year, Shaun McGuire set up a website dedicated to those who gave their lives during wars.

Hundreds of people have visited the site and many people have contacted him with details of casualties.

Mr McGuire wanted to remember everyone who died so there are civilians as well as service personnel who lost their lives.
These include young victims such as 14-year-old Raymond Steed, who served in the Merchant Navy, and is believed to be the youngest person killed in action.

He estimated there were now more than 2,900 names on the site.

It is poignant reading because it is not just a list as he has included information about the victims as well as photographs .
Mr McGuire said he did not expect more than about one hit a week but has been taken aback by the level of interest after he wrote to the Argus about his website.

His mission began after he found the neglected grave of someone who was killed in a war.

"I wondered who was going to remember him."

[Administrator]

Mr McGuire, of Bettws, who had already set up a website dedicated to a cousin who died in the Second World War, decided to launch his new site.

He began by finding names in two books kept in Newport Library and has since filled in the gaps with his own research as well as from relatives who have got in touch with him.

"It is very important to remember all these people. One of the reasons I have included photographs is so we can see how young they were."

He hoped that youngsters studying the Second World War would use the site as a resource and realise the bravery of people not much older than them who had lost their lives.
Visit the website www.newportsdead.bravehost.com.


Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II holds the title of "Master of the Merchant Navy & Fishing Fleet", which was passed down by King George VI and was the title held by King George V who bestowed the title 'Merchant Navy' on us after WWI. In WWI 17,000 Merchant Seamen sailing under the Red Ensign were killed with a further 32,000 in WWII, which happens to be a higher percentage rate than any of the three armed services. Post WWII t he Red Ensign has been involved conflicts in Palestine 1945-1948, Korea 1950-1953, Suez 1956, Cyprus, 1954-1959, Borneo, 1962-1966, Falklands 1982 & the Gulf 1991 & 2003, with medals issued to it’s serving members in all areas of operations.

In 2000 the British Government introduced the official 'Merchant Navy Day' in recognition of the important role the Merchant Navy plays in supplying this Island nation in war as well as peace. 3rd September every year since, the Red Ensign is flown from public buildings the length & breadth of this country. Please report and broadcast as appropriate, Our MARITIME HISTORY and MERCHANT SEAMEN “ NEED YOUR HELP”.

The CWGC are governed by strict rules and regulations and initially worked from the details sent to them at the time from the old Registry of Shipping & Seamen at Cardiff. If the RSS deemed certain casualties as having lost their lives due to direct enemy action or increased war risk, then the details were passed on to the Commission for final approval. When a ship disappeared without trace a Joint Arbitration Committee were then left to decide whether they thought the ship was lost due to increased war risk and their findings then sent through the process.

Although the CWGC are sympathetic to the plight of these lost souls their hands are tied until Government legislation is changed (which will never happen)

The MNA are working on a register and the last report was their research team were dealing with possible casualties to be added from 1943. Those with a possible chance of being fully registered will be submitted to the Commission for possible approval. Even if rejected at least there will be a full a list as possible detailing the names of those who died and they can then work on our another way of commemorating their names.

Another not well known area is apparently: it seems that as time goes by and the Tower Hill panels become worn and need replacing that a number of individual names are to be removed as the circumstances surrounding their deaths have changed and the CWGC no longer consider them as war dead.

This is somewhat annoying and upsetting as to contact the CWGC over the misspelling of a ships name on a headstone as well as the man/s rating. after finding the copy of the ships Log Book & Crew Agreements, and discovering that he was killed in a non war related incident and has somehow slipped through the pen pusher brigades paper work. Now worries some to the extent that if they submit these findings he will be excluded altogether and when his headstone eventually needs replacing the CWGC will not do it. So they feel that they can no longer pass on results of research and assist such commemoration.

NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT………

Please help the remembrance and assign a reporter to both assist in the tribute and right such wrongs.

[Administrator]

We have always had every assistance from and applaud the work of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission and all bodies and individuals that attempt to remember, but, there are failings that are not widely known. We hope only to raise awareness and to remember, LEST WE FORGET

Her Name Was Tregenna is a site created as a tribute to Captain Care of Barry and the men of one particular ship, though it now carries additional material.

www.ss-tregenna.co.uk/
www.ss-tregenna.co.uk
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

PLEASE JUST REMEMBER THEM.


LEST WE FORGET.

Regards.
Keith at Tregenna.

A MENTION OF AUSTRALIA HOLDING AN MN DAY THIS YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME SHOULD ALSO BE NEWSWORTHY.

Please forward to your local press and news media:

NEWSPAPER EDITORS, REPORTERS AND REGIONAL TV AND RADIO ETC

“LEST WE FORGGET”

[Administrator]

MERCHANT NAVY DAY - September 3rd

Take a little care this day and glance above the tiles,
Perchance to see a flagpole visible for miles,
Atop of it a red flag proudly whipping tight,
A Merchant Navy ensign flying there by right.

From important buildings as well as from the sea.
It’s flown to honour mariners and shipping history,
Sailing through the years, transporting all the freight,
Conserving of the lifelines keeping Britain great.

If you glance aloft and see with knowing eye,
A `duster` at the masthead when you're passing by,
Please inform your offspring while going on to say,
A debt is owed to seamen under colours flown today.

Joe Earl


We at Tregenna have full permission to use the works of Captain Joe Earl in tribute, we ask that you respect this work and contact us at Her Name Was SS. If you wish to reproduce any of the same, we will contact Joe on your behalf and request permission for you: [e-mail]