Merchant Navy representation on Remembrance Day
Paul Du Mesnil
lvickii Knight
Fm Lucy Knight
In the front of a book written by late Marconi Radio officer who went to sea 1942 and served during WW2 on convoys, there is a short passage.
"This book is dedicated to the comrades of my youth, whom I now see very clearly, but from great distance. And what I chiefly remember are not the U-boats and the sinkings, but the laughter and the hoary old jokes we had all heard before, nights ashore in far-flung places, and crowding together in someone's cabin with a case of twenty-four cans of Barclays beer on the deck between us and the air thick with cigarette smoke.
And my salutation goes out to them across the hills of time.
Despite one in four chance of being lost serving on those convoys from U-boats and one in three on Artic convoys it is amazing how many who should know better willingly airbrush the Merchant Navy contribution out.
Maybe some lessons could be learnt which could benefit UK organisations eg NHS. There were no company bonding or teamwork courses in those days and they seemed to manage brilliantly in conditions described as adverse would be an understatment.
Two ships I can think of as examples of Atlantic convoy ships were the Eagle oil (Shell had interest in Eagle oil) tanker San Emiliano 1 which was sunk with loss of most lives and the survivors reports were harrowing. One of the three R/Os volunteered to crawl through flames to release the only lifeboat that could be accessed. Many of those that ended up in lifeboat from the ship and from the water died of their burn injuries in lifeboat after rowing and making no complaints about their severe injuries. Of those left in the single lifeboat launched they were rescued in the end abd tajen to U.S.
At the other end of scale was the SS Bayano 2. (SS Bayano 1 was lost WW1) She was known as luckiest ship. She was in the war from beginning as old ship and completed highest number of Atlantic crossings and without being hit. She carried personnel and cargo. Included children evacuating from UK to USA and Canada, (until deemed too dangerous) aircrew, cargo and at end of war GI brides from UK going to start a married life in US with US troops they had met in England.
I hope the veterans snubbed get an apology from Royal British Legion, but I wouldn't be too optimistic.
The patron of Merchant Navy Association Admiral West has according to newspaper article asked BL for one.
73
Lucy
lvickii Knight
Fm Lucy Knight
In the front of a book written by late Marconi Radio officer who went to sea 1942 and served during WW2 on convoys, there is a short passage, which I thought was relevant.
"This book is dedicated to the comrades of my youth, whom I now see very clearly, but from great distance. And what I chiefly remember are not the U-boats and the sinkings, but the laughter and the hoary old jokes we had all heard before, nights ashore in far-flung places, and crowding together in someone's cabin with a case of twenty-four cans of Barclays beer on the deck between us and the air thick with cigarette smoke.
And my salutation goes out to them across the hills of time.
Maybe that illustrates the attitude of those brave MN personnel who served on the WW2 convoys.
Despite one in four chance of being lost serving on those convoys from U-boats and one in three on Artic convoys it is amazing how many who should know better willingly airbrush the Merchant Navy contribution out of the World wars.
Maybe some lessons could be learnt which could benefit UK organisations eg NHS. There were no company bonding or teamwork courses in those days and they seemed to manage brilliantly in conditions which the adjective adverse would be an understatment.
Two ships I can think of as examples of Atlantic convoy ships were the Eagle oil (Shell had interest in Eagle oil) tanker San Emiliano 1 which was sunk with loss of most lives and the survivors reports were harrowing. One of the three R/Os volunteered to crawl through flames to release the only lifeboat that could be accessed. Many of those that ended up in lifeboat from the ship and from the water died of their burn injuries in lifeboat after rowing and making no complaints about their severe injuries before thry suddenly died. Of those left in the single lifeboat launched, they were rescued in the end and taken to U.S. When the Mate was asked what he wanted done with the lifeboat he said "sunk" because of what had happened on it. He hadn't realised till later that it could have been sold and the money used to buy much needed clothes for the survivors, when they arrived in US. Hardly pampered after being rescued. Wages were stopped immediately when ships lost. If the wages weren't stooped immediately, a refund was asked for. I remember a ch eng I sailed eith telling me his father had died during WW2 on MN vessel. He was young child with siblings and his mother had had to pay back money as the family only entitled to wages up to time of death.
At the other end of scale was a lucky convoy MN ship, the SS Bayano 2. (SS Bayano 1 was lost WW1) SS Bayano 2 was known as the luckiest ship on the Atlantic convoys . She was in the war from beginning as an old ship and completed highest number of Atlantic crossings and without being hit. She carried personnel and cargo. This included children evacuating from UK to USA and Canada for safery reasons, (until they stopped as deemed too dangerous to carry them) aircrew, cargo and at end of war GI brides from UK going to start a married life in US with US troops they had met in England. Bayano ended up as a banana ship after war.
I hope the veterans snubbed get an apology from Royal British Legion, but I wouldn't be too optimistic.
The patron of Merchant Navy Association Admiral Lord West has according to a newspaper article asked British Legion for one.
73
Lucy
D.J.J. Ring, Jr.
Greetings to all out veteran R/O's of the various nations Merchant Navy and Merchant Marine, both alive and dead; we thank you all for your service.
Lucy, your message was received twice: Be advised google groups uses the normal but decidedly old standard that the individual poster of a message does NOT receive a copy of the group's email distribution for that particular message. This standard was set long ago when messages went out at 300 baud over phone lines and each second of traffic cost significant money. Even now if it is changed so that senders get copies of messages, those who sent the messages will complain that a copy of their message is neither needed nor desired.
73
DR
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