The Federation of Merchant Mariners
Introduction
"Remembering the Merchant Navy" aims to highlight the crucial role of the Merchant Navy in the history of the United Kingdom. The Federation of Merchant Mariners' "Remember the Merchant Navy" has been launched by the Federation's Education Consultant, David Seymour MA, MPhil, Head of History at Thetford Grammar School. This new project encourages schools and youth groups to make contact with veterans of the Merchant Service and to research their local Merchant Navy casualties in conflicts from 1914 onwards.
A National Database
With your help "Remembering the Merchant Navy" will build a database of schools and youth groups which have Merchant Navy connections and interests. "Remembering the Merchant Navy" aims to put those with Merchant Navy connections in touch with each other and with local veterans.
Your Stories and Photos for the Website
The website welcomes stories about what you have discovered and how you discovered it. We welcome photos, for example, of your war memorial showing your sailor's name, or your group doing some research, of your sailor, of his ship, of your commemoration or your group with a Merchant Navy Veteran.
Getting Started
Visit your school or local town or village war memorial. In many cases the names will be arranged by service or unit and so it will be easy to find those belonging to the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets.
On other types of memorial the names will be arranged alphabetically with the person's service noted alongside the name. Others, however, make no mention of the services involved and will require a little more research.
Once you have a name whether you know the person's service or unit or not, the first port of call is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website at www.cwgc.org.
Click here to view the advertisement that has been sent to schools and youth groups all around the country.
The Research Form
Please download the form and then fill in as much of it as you can. Remember even a little information is better than nothing. When you have put as much information as you can will you then send the form to:
Mr David Seymour MA, MPhil
Thetford Grammar School
Bridge Street
Thetford
Norfolk IP24 3AF
Click here to download the form