British Merchant Marine WW2

From the Washington Naval Treaty to the end of the Second World War.
SteveParker333
Junior Member
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Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:07 pm

British Merchant Marine WW2

Post by SteveParker333 »

Hi. I'm trying to find out about the British sailors who performed various 'soldier at sea' duties on the convoys during WW2. My Granddad was apparently a gunner on merchant vessels, but all my family seems to know is that he was in the 'Merchant Marine,' and that they were often referred to as 'soldiers at sea.' Any help would be greatly appreciated. Were they in fact 'soldiers?' If so, did they belong to some sort of regiment? If they were sailors, then how were they specialized into things like gunnery etc, and where were they trained? I believe he was generally on the Halifax (NS) to Liverpool convoys. I'd like to find out what his actual designation would have been. How would he have been referred to? Etc etc.

Many thanks for any information at all.

Steve.