merchant navy help

[craftycaz2004]

Does anyone know how i can find out which medals my FIL was awarded in WW2. I have very few details
thanks
Carol

[jqp]

Hi Carol

If you go to this page for the National Archives it might explain and help you a bit:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/rdleaflet.asp?sleafletid=133&j=1

Jacqui

[craftycaz2004]

thanks, i'll go and have a try
:-)

[Annie]

Probably a lot! My uncle was in the merchant navy in the war and he gave his medals away as he was so disgusted by it all. Basically a ship just had to go into national waters and the crew were awarded the appropriate medal. He was in the Bay of Bengal for a couple of days and got the Burma Star. He also got the Italy medal and the Africa medal for being in those waters for a few days. He was so sickened that he was awarded a medal that people fought in the jungles of Burma for years for, and in the deserts in North Africa for years for that he just didn't want them. So it looked like he had been in pretty much every major campaign of the war and probably had barely set foot on the soil, far less fought there.

[craftycaz2004]

i know he was torpedoed and drifted for a few days, he was on the SS Westmoreland but cant find anything out, been on the above site but no joy.

[jqp]

Found this picture on google, apparently in Tampa, Florida in 1936 ...is it the right Westomoreland http://zerver.thpl.lib.fl.us/archive10/9237.jpg and
also:
http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=5458 which might help you with dates.

You could contact Trinity House which might be able to help you.

Have you actually tried putting his name directly into Google...I discovered quite a bit about a cousin in the American Airforce, who fought here with the RAF, that way.

[Lynn Donnelly]

I have found this whiklst looking for info about my grandfather in the RAF in WW2

http://www.btinternet.com/~lawrence.woodcock/

I have contacted him via e-mail and have been quoted £55. Think we are going to give it a try, my Dad is interested and offered to pay :rolleyes:

[craftycaz2004]

thanks everyone, at least i now have something to try

[lizbeth]

Try Liverpool Nautical Research Society, Maritime Archives & Library, Merseysdie Maritime Museum, Albert Dock Liverpool L3 3AA, I contacted them with a name and some dates and got a detailed letter with loads of information back. I am not sure the range of their records but I would have thought WWII would be there. Good luck