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Thread: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

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    Default How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    Can someone let me know how many were lost during the two conflicts.

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    I have also tried to verify this question. Unfortunately there seem to be some variations in my search. However, the closest and most reliable numbers seem to be 14,661 in WW1 and 30,179 British Merchant seafarers lost between September 3rd. 1939 and February 28th. 1945. I do not have the sources to hand - but it should be recognised that in WW2 that MN seafarers incurred the greatest loss in any theatre of operations.

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    From reading post from our old friend Hugh, who you may recall was very well read on these subjects, apparently, seamen who died from injuries received on these ships, but died at a later date from their injuries, are not included in the figures, very sad, but again they were only Merchant seamen, kt
    R689823

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    I always thought that the MN also suffered the highest loss of life, but unless wiki have got the figures wrong.Bomber Command crews also suffered a high casualty rate: 55,573 were killed out of a total of 125,000 aircrew, a 44.4% death rate. A further 8,403 men were wounded in action, and 9,838 became prisoners of war. I wonder are they counting USA air crews into these figures

    The office of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen calculated that 144,000 merchant seamen were serving aboard British registered merchant ships at the outbreak of World War II and that up to 185,000 men and women served in the Merchant Navy during the wartime.[2][3] 36,749 seamen and women were lost by enemy action, 5,720 were taken prisoner and 4,707 were wounded, totaling 47,176 casualties, a minimum casualty rate of over 25 percent. Mr Gabe Thomas, the former Registrar General of Shipping and Seaman (Great Britain) stated that "27 percent of merchant seamen died through enemy action. Regardless it is a staggering Statistic and still we never learn from history and the mistakes of the past.

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    #4.. Lewis I think, but I may be wrong, that when people quote the number of British merchant seamen lost to war activity, and add the rider that it was larger than such and such branch of the armed forces they are quoting the figures as an average of the total complement. e.g. say 30,000 seamen lost out of a total complement of 120,000 equals a 25 per cent fatality rate. Whereas a 100,000 army fatalities out of a complement of 2 million, I leave you to work out the arithmetic , which your probably much better at than me, if you used the same method of measurement you would probably find that MN deaths exceeded all the armed services put together. Anyhow one death is one too many. I don’t know how many civilians were killed through enemy action and just erased as collateral damage as not too much is said on that subject . But those who lived through the Blitz areas during 39/45 could have plenty to say also. Death comes finally to us all and most people expect it, those killed by the hands of other men before their time should be remembered especially as they probably didn’t want to be there in the first place . People quote percentages and numbers we should think of them as living and breathing people. When you quote 44 per cent of aircrew this comes outside the box of calculations as should be The percentage of the whole RAF.
    With the MN every seamen was on the front line. Needless to say the armed forces were not. So percentage wise if wanting to calculate that way the MN suffered the most casualty’s. Cheers JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 7th November 2018 at 11:49 AM.

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    Wikipedia are accurate this time Lewis


    55,573 aircrew from Bomber Command were killed. A further 9,784 were shot down and taken prisoner. Source: Max Hastings: Bomber Command

    38,462 Royal Air Force -
    9,919 Royal Canadian Air Force -
    4,050 Royal Australian Air Force -
    679 Royal New Zealand Air Force
    929 Polish Air Force - In terms of human lives, 28,000 German U-boat crew of the total 40,900 men recruited into the service lost their lives and 5,000 were taken prisoners of war. .
    473 Other allied Air Forces (e.g. French, Czech etc.) - and some Norwegians,
    34 South African Air Force
    27 Other Dominions

    the highest losses U-Boat crew by %In terms of human lives, 28,000 German U-boat crew of the total 40,900 men recruited into the service lost their lives and 5,000 were taken prisoners of war. 68.5% died
    Rob Page R855150 - British & Commonwealth Shipping ( 1965 - 1973 ) Gulf Oil -( 1973 - 1975 ) Sealink ( 1975 - 1986 )

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    When we look at the figures it is staggering. I am sure in the news today we will all have seen the tribute to those who died at the Somme, I think it is being displayed at the London Olympic park , 72,000+ and these are the soldiers who have no known grave. So sad.

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    As we approach the anniversary of the WW1 armistice it is hard to believe that man has learned nothing from that conflict, or indeed others.

    The war to end all, wars we were told, it was a very different war in may ways and the scars can still be seen in many EU countries, scars where the trenches were, where the barbed wire stood and where so many fell.

    But man did learn, he learned new ways to kill, no longer hand to hand combat, no more trench warfare.
    No now we have bombs capable of taking out a whole city in one foul swoop, not killing armed forces, no this is to remove the civilians.
    Long distance so one man sits at a console killing as many as he likes.

    Yes man certainly has learned.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    I believe that RAF Bomber Command lost 54 thousand in WW2 ?

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    Default Re: How many seaman lost in the 2 World Wars

    According to Ian Malcolm’s book titled “Shipping Company Losses of the Second World War” , and who is a member of this site. In total 33,000 Merchant Seamen died, while others were severely injured both physically and mentally, and was a higher proportion of losses than any of the armed forces.
    Losses from the First World War re seafarers may be if not in his book, in Another I have by Ian Stewart, will have a look later. Cheers JS

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