The Allied Merchant Navy of World War Two: Index Page

To go directly to Table of Contents Please Click Here

Welcome to our website which is a collection of pages dedicated to those who served in the Allied Merchant Navy during World War Two. All of us who have contributed to this site hope that you will find our topics interesting and educational as well a lasting tribute to the Merchant Navy and all the others who aided them in their vital role. The world today can never repay the debt owed to these men and women. To them we say "Thank you -- we will never forget what you did."

Regretfully, our former Message Board and Guestbook have been discontinued, but for specific information on merchant seamen and ships, we recommend the Mercantile Marine Discussion Forum. The Forum is similar to a notice-board or bulletin-board and has the advantages of being permanent and international. Users can post questions and reply to questions or discussions about the world's Merchant Navies/Marines. If you are looking for information on a particular person, be sure to leave a message in the "People Search" section.

To go the Mercantile Marine Discussion Forum, Please Click Here or on the image to the right.

January 2006 UPDATE: ROPNER PARK MERCHANT NAVY MEMORIAL PLAQUE CAMPAIGN

Following the success of Billy McGee's campaign to raise money for the Merchant Navy Memorial in beautiful Ropner Park, Stockton-on-Tees, England, Billy is now working on a book honouring the men who served aboard the Ropner ships.

To read Andrew Pain's interesting article "Billy ...and His Heroes" in Stockton-on-Tees's Evening Gazette please visit ic Teesside.co.uk".

Remember September 3rd -- Merchant Navy Veterans Day

2005 MERCHANT NAVY DAY REUNION, Wasaga Beach, Ontario

The Third Annual Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Day Reunion, was again hosted by Wanita and Jack Stapleton at the beautiful Dyconia Resort Hotel in Wasaga Beach.

Please click here to see the group photo which was taken at the 2003 Reunion. Thank you to Martin Walsh for this splendid photo!

For information about the 2005 Merchant Navy Veterans Day commemoration in Ottawa, please visit Veterans Afffairs Canada.

May 2005 Update on the Milag Nord Memorial Campaign

Billy McGee of the former British Merchant Navy at War 1939-1945 website, reports that the campaign to raise money for the Merchant Navy POW Memorial at the site of the WWII POW Camp Milag Nord has been very successful.

In his letter of 3 May, 2005, Billy writes the following:
"The three Milag Memorial Plaques were unveiled in Germany on the 28th April. Have attached photos of them before they were shipped over. The unveiling was attended by 20 ex Milag PoW's and 30 local Germans as well as the Author of Milag: Captives of the Kriegsmarine Gabe Thomas, who first came up with the idea.

Cannot upload photos to my site, so please pass on to any interested parties."

To view the photos, please click on the following links:

Photo One

Photo Two

Photo Three

May 2005: UPDATE ON BIDADARI CEMETERY MEMORIAL DEDICATION AND UNVEILING: The British Merchant Seamen's Plaque at The Bidadari Memorial Garden, Singapore, has been unveiled in a moving ceremony held on 17 May 2005. The official Press Release reads as follows:

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Singapore, Tuesday 17th May 2005 A memorial plaque dedicated in memory of British merchant seamen and merchant seamen of all nations, civilians and others buried at the former Bidadari cemetery was unveiled this morning by Commander B. Boxall-Hunt RN OBE representing the UK High Commissioner and Reverend Mervyn Moore, an ex-seafarer; Port Chaplain of the Mission to Seafarers. The unveiling and dedication ceremony of this memorial plaque took place at the Bidadari Garden, located off Mt Vernon Road.

The Bidadari Cemetery is one of Singapore’s well-known landmarks dating back to 1907 and was closed for burial in 1972. Amongst those who were buried at the Bidadari Cemetery, many were Merchant Seamen of many nations from old shipping companies like Blue Funnel, Glen Lines, Straits Steamship, Royal Dutch Interocean, CP Ships and British India, etc that traded through Singapore. Ex- Servicemen, Federation of Malaya Police who were killed during service and many others who perished in the Changi internment camps during World War two were also buried at the Bidadari Cemetery.

It is thanks to the efforts of a stalwart group of ex-Merchant Navy Officers who contacted the National Heritage Board, Singapore that this dedication ceremony was organised. It was mutually agreed for a plaque to be placed to show respect to those who had lain within the Bidadari Cemetery by the Merchant Navy and the National Heritage Board, Singapore.

The stalwart group successfully raised sufficient funds through donations, contributed from people all over the world. The donated funds were used for the plaque’s manufacture in Australia, shipment to Singapore and plaque installation. The National Heritage Board, Singapore gave much valuable assistance to the stalwart group in their efforts to bring the memorial plaque to Singapore and to erect it at the Bidadari Garden.

The unveiling and dedication of the plaque is a reminder to us all, of those who gave so much for the many. The plaque stands to remember them for all eternity."

For more information on the unveiling and dedication ceremony, please visit the Merchant Navy Officers website.

Thank you to Captain John Bax for forwarding on the above information about the Bidadari Memorial.

CANADIAN CASUALTY LIST OF WWII MERCHANT SEAMEN NOW AVAILABLE: Billy McGee of the former British Merchant Navy at War website has compliled a list of the Canadian Merchant Mariners lost from Canadian, British and foreign ships in WWII. Billy has also included British Seamen lost on Canadian owned/managed ships. To view Billy's list Please Click Here. To return to this page from the Casualty List, just click on your browser's "Back Button".

ATTENTION ANYONE HAVING PROBLEMS OBTAINING CANADIAN MN RECORDS: If you are running into problems trying to obtain information about a Veteran's records from Veterans Affairs Canada's Merchant Navy Registry in Charlottetown, Mark Fedikow would like to hear form you. Mark is attempting to have the Privacy Act modified to make it easier for family members to access Information. Mark can be reached at: mfedikow@mts.net.

Thanks to a generous benefactor, Marion Kelch now has a new Empress of Ireland Artifacts website at www.empressartifacts.org/. Marion and the Empress of Ireland Save the Artifacts Committee are continuing their campaign to keep the Empress of Ireland artifacts from being sold outside Canada. Please Click Here for more background information and links.

April 2005: The Canadian Merchant Navy Association is now encouraging family members of CMNVA members to apply for membership in the association. Please contact the Membership Chair Velma Emberly at the e-mail address of: bvemberly@telus.net
The CMNVA's Official Newsletter is "The Red Duster". To send a submission to the "Red Duster", please contact the Editor and Executive Vice-President Bruce Ferguson at the e-mail address of lbferguson@pacificcoast.net.

The Second World War Experience Centre in Leeds, England, would like to hear from anyone who is willing to share personal experiences of the war in the form of memoirs, diaries, letters, recorded interviews, etc. For more information Please Click Here

November 7th, 2000: The British government announced that Merchant Seamen and other British groups who were imprisoned by the Japanese in WWII (Far Eastern Prisoners of War or FEPOW) will now receive compensation. For information on how to apply please go to the Veterans Agency. The Burma Star Association website also has information of interest to Far Eastern Prisoners of War (FEPOW).

Update on Canadian MN Compensation: Although the deadline for applications passed as of June 30th, 2000, Veterans Affairs continues to provide updated information which is accessible from its Merchant Navy Client Information Page.

For contact information on Canada's Members of Parliament, Please Click Here.

To go to our TABLE OF CONTENTS Please Click Here or on the image at the right. We have several Links Pages -- a General Links Page, a CPR Ships Links Page and Chuck Betsworth's Maritime links Page. Please see the Table of Contents for more information.

To return to this page at any time please click on the INDEX PAGE link located at the top and bottom of each page.

For specific questions, we recommend the Mercantile Marine Discussion Forum. Please Click Here or on the image below.

Attn Students:
Be sure to visit this site
for some "cool" pages

Written by:
Maureen Venzi
Alberta, Canada
I regret that due to lack of time, I'm no longer able to reply to e-mail queries. If you have questions regarding the Merchant Navy, I highly recommend the Mercantile Marine Discussion Forum at http://mercantile.ewebs.com.

Updated 10 November 2007