You are here: Home > Search the archives > DocumentsOnline > Research tools > WW2 Seamen's Medals

World War Two Medals issued to Merchant Seamen

You can now search and download records of the World War Two medals issued to merchant seamen. Use the links below to jump to the topics you are interested in.

Introduction

The merchant navy comprises the commercial and trading ships and crews employed in a country. At the outbreak of World War Two, the British merchant fleet and its resources came under the control of the Ministry of Shipping. This collection of records (held in the series BT 395) lists the medals awarded to merchant seamen for their service in the war. The series was accessioned electronically by The National Archives in 2003 from the Registry of Shipping and Seamen (RSS).

What is the index?

Top of page 

Merchant Navy propaganda poster. Cat ref: INF 13/213

BT 395 contains a record of World War Two Medals claimed and issued to Merchant Seamen from 1946 to 2002. Medals were not automatically issued, but had to be claimed by the veteran. Following the war, medal papers were raised including details of a seaman's service. These were sent to ports for the veteran to sign, confirming the accuracy of the information, and were then returned to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen (RGSS) in Cardiff.

Each entry in BT 395 gives details of the seaman's name and the medals, ribbons and clasps issued, together with a reference to the medal papers file, held at the Registry of Shipping and Seamen (RSS). Usually, his discharge book number and date and place of birth are listed too.

Searching for an entry on DocumentsOnline

Top of page 

There is a specific search form for the merchant seamen's medals category. The index to the images contains data transcribed from the cards. The fields you can search on are last name, first name (or initial) and discharge book number. In many cases an individual's date of birth was in the record, and so is available to search in the index.

Please remember that BT 395 contains a record of medals claimed and issued, rather than entitlement, so if an individual is not listed in the index, it may be because they have not claimed their medal entitlement. For more information see the Medal entitlement section below.

In these records, discharge book numbers typically include a full stop between R and the number, for example, "R.12345", but many do not, so we would advise that you search both with and without the full stop.

In the transcribed index, names are listed as "last name, first name (and/or initial)", for example, "Medal card of BADHAM, Peter". If you are having no luck searching on "Peter BADHAM" in Quick Search, try using "BADHAM Peter" or "BADHAM P". The cards have been indexed this way so you will be able to sort your search results list alphabetically. For more help on searching, please see the search tips

There are as many as sixteen different records in an image. If you are ordering more than one record for individuals with similar names, you should check if their records are on the same page. You can do this by looking at the image reference number. This number appears on the "image details" page. It contains two strings of numbers separated by a forward slash; for example, the image reference number for the medal record of Alfred Harry BADMAN is nnnnnn/01456. This second set of numbers, 01456, indicates the precise image that contains the record. If you also wanted to buy the record of Horace William BADMAN, check the image reference number for his record. It is nnnnnn/01456. The second set of numbers in this example is the same as the first example, so both records are in the same image.

If you check this before you buy, there is no need to pay a further £3.50 for the second entry on the same image.

About the medals

Top of page 

Eight medals were awarded to British merchant seamen who served in World War Two and who met the qualifications for each medal. The Mercantile Marine Office usually issued the ribbons at the port, with the medal normally following on some time later, after it had been produced by the Mint. It is believed that the Atlantic Star and the 1939-1945 ribbon were issued in advance of the others.

A single oak leaf emblem attached to the War Medal ribbon denotes a Mention-in-Despatches; the silver oak leaf, a King's Commendation for Brave Conduct. Even if a person had several "mentions", he would only have one emblem.

Anyone who qualified for both the Pacific Star and the Burma Star would be awarded the first Star earned. A Clasp would be worn to signify service for the other Star.

Anyone who qualified for both the France & Germany Star and the Atlantic Star would be awarded the first Star earned, with a Clasp. A silver rose on the ribbon bar signifies the award of a bar.

How to interpret a record

Top of page 

The image you order will usually come with a number of medal records for other individuals.

The left side of the entry for each individual will contain their last name and first name(s), and discharge number. It may also contain their date and place of birth, but not for all individuals.

The column on the right of each record contains a reference number to the Entitlement file held by RSS.

The following codes may be found on the record:

In general a cross through a code indicates that the medal was issued; a circle over a code indicates that only the ribbon for that medal has been issued; a cross and a circle indicate that both a medal and a ribbon have been issued. The letter "R" over a code can signify that an application for that medal was reviewed and refused.

Other terms you may find include:

Medal entitlement

Top of page 

BT 395 records the medals claimed and issued, rather than the entitlement to medals, which is held at the Registry of Shipping and Seamen (RSS). Remember that these medals were not issued automatically, but had to be claimed. If you are enquiring about a seaman's entitlement you should begin by contacting the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen at:

The RSS holds the most up-to-date records relating to the award of medals to merchant seamen during the World War Two. If they cannot find an entitlement listed and you would like to check whether there is one, they can advise you about the evidence they need. Have a look at the research guide Merchant Seamen: Medals and Honours in the Catalogue for more details and how to gather evidence. Please note that the medal papers retained by the RSS are no longer complete.

Continuing your research

Top of page 

You may want to search for a record of service. For information on how to do this, please look at the research guides relating to Merchant Seamen.

These books are available from The National Archives bookshop:

For background reading on merchant navy records, this book may also be of interest:

Many terms used are specific to the Merchant Navy and there are explanations and definitions in our glossary page you may find useful.

Research guides in the Catalogue

Top of page 

The research guides, held in the Catalogue are a good place to get started with your research, as they give specific research advice that will help you to use the Catalogue. A number of research guides for records relating to merchant seamen are available. You may find the following particularly relevant:

There are many more research guides on broader World War Two topics including: medals and honours, sea service records, officers' service records, ships wrecked or sunk. These are available from the full A to Z of research guides