Father's WWII M.N. diary needs proper archiving - any suggestions welcome!

[Valerie Mitchell]

Our father, John Falconer Mitchell (1914-2010), was born and educated in Sunderland, and after working at Wm. Doxford & Sons' shipyard and then at the drawing office at Geo. Clarkes Ltd. he joined the Merchant Navy as a marine engineer in 1937. He served in the Merchant Navy throughout World War II and left a detailed diary of those years, covering his experiences of sailing in convoy, technical difficulties encountered in the engine room as well as dramatic escapes following enemy action. Each vessel has a story. On February 5 1940 he is scrambling into a lifeboat following the destruction of the Beaverburn (but remembering to take his diary with him!), in his next ship the Empress of Australia he is witnessing enemy action in Narvik Fjord following the German occupation of Norway and in 1941 on the Pacific Star (an “ill-starred scrapheap” in his words) he is wrestling with so many technical challenges including running out of fresh water and a list so bad that they barely made it to Buenos Aires in one piece. Perhaps the most dramatic event he participated in was the evacuation of Singapore in February 1942 for which he received a commendation for bravery. He was Junior 3rd Officer aboard the Empire Star at the time and he describes the feverish embarking of RAF personnel and refugees from Singapore Island following the recent Japanese invasion and occupation of Malaya.

Dad was a meticulous man in many ways and never threw anything away. Accordingly, we have inherited a voluminous archive of every pay-slip or Account of Wages from each vessel he sailed in, a sizable pile of notes from every course he took at the Sunderland Technical College in addition to a detailed account of income and expenditure down to the last pair of engine room gauntlets purchased. His diary concludes after his final tour of duty on the Columbia Star on December 12, 1945, when the Ministry of War Transport offered him an appointment as an Engineer Surveyor and he was finally permitted to leave the M.N., having risen to the rank of Chief Engineer. He remained in the Civil Service until he retired as Principal Officer of the North East Division in August of 1979.

The question now is — what to do with all of this material? My sister and I feel that the diary in particular offers a fascinating eye-witness account by a young marine engineer sailing in convoy during World War II, often not getting the full picture of what was going on until after the event since his work by and large confined him to the engine room but somehow determined to keep a record of what he did see. His energy and interest in writing down his experiences at sea extended to what engaged him when on shore and here his enquiring mind and curiosity about different cultures meant that he took full advantage of whatever musical entertainment was available in each port of call especially if there was a chance to exercise his ballroom dancing skills. Every concert or opera he heard, every film he saw, every dancehall or drinking establishment he visited is duly recorded and commented on.

Again: what to do with this archive? Our hope is that some member of the British Merchant Navy Old Friends might have an idea of where to deposit the diary and other material related to our father’s service in the M.N. so as to make them available to anyone interested in this period of history. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Jacqueline and Valerie

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hello Valerie, seems you have a treasure trove there, which must not be lost, I have given some of my stuff to maritime museums in the past, and my unpublished book went to Hull University Library for their 'Archivist' to local history division. Like most on here I didn't go to University but joined the university of life at 16 years old, although my sea ventures started at 13 on Arctic trawlers. It is not necessary to have attended university

There are other paths to follow as well as approaching the University City closest to your fathers apprenticeship, say Newcastle, Durham etc, not sure if Sunderland has a University, but I would make initial contact with the Archivist at said universities, or follow other routes which may cost some money (but well spent) and go down the publishing route; only have information on one that deals in maritime matters:-

York Publishing Services Ltd
email: enquiries@yps-publishing.co.uk

If they cannot help they may be able to point you in another direction, or maybe approach Newcastle, Hull or Liverpool maritime museums

good luck in your endeavours

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[Keith Tindell]

Hi Valerie, Thank you for posting this information, what ever you decide, please it must not get lost. The men and women of the MN were very brave people, and as the MN is now virtually extinct, apart from the few of us on this site.
Can i request that if it is published in any form, you could inform us on this site, where i am sure we would all purchase a copy, in that event. Good luck whatever you decide, and thank you for your post, Keith

[Doc Vernon]

No more to add than what has been said , that is really a great account of what your dear Father did . A keepsake i feel for you to keep, but if not then follow Ivan's suggestions !
Thank you for the Thread!

[Fouro]

Many thanks Valerie for posting such an excellent post about such a brave seaman (your father). Maybe I would forget about the university touch and instead I would go to the ordinary school in Sunderland where he was taught. I myself gained three certs of merit at the high school I was educated. The headmaster was very pleased to give me good references knowing that I needed something worthwhile to hand over to whoever interviewed me at the Broomielaw in Glasgow. I must admit these papers di me good throughout my working life. Later on when I was accepted as a 5rh engineer in the MN one of my aunts showed me the write-up the school had given the Stirling Observer to print. It wasn't much but it was enough to make me feel proud at getting my name in the paper. So you see Valerie your father's school might be proud enough to write something about such a brave man such as him during W W 2.

Fouro.

[Fouro]

As I have mentioned the Stirling Obverser in the post above, I would like you all on site to know the 6th engineer who was educated at Stirling High school was one of the engineers who lost his life when the Titanic went down.

Fouro.

[j.sabourn]

#1 If the enemy action in Narvik corresponds with the action involving the operation of naval units the likes of the Cossack and the Altmark one of the pow’s off the Altmark was a little Welshman who was a 15 year old apprentice at the time . We used to relieve each other as mate when working for an Indian company . He went on to be master with World Wide Shipping . He died about the same time as your father about 2010 . JS

[Louis the fly]

My father kept accounts of his last ship being torpedoed and sunk by a German Uboat, life adrift in a lifeboat and his treatment by Vichy French in Senegal west Africa.
I donated his writings, on scraps of paper to the Liverpool Maritime Museum.

[Harry Nicholson]

Valerie, you write well. One route you could take is to publish the diaries through Amazon Desk Top Publishing. I did similar when, a few years back, I was given the writings of a survivor of the collapse of Singapore and the loss of the 'Vyner Brooke' and its Australian nurses. I top and tailed it with chapters on the author, Lt. A J Mann RNR. who was 2nd mate of that ship. It's published as "One Jump Ahead" under his name. I then donated the original manuscript to the Australian Memorial, with copies to the Imperial War Museum. Whatever course you take, the diaries you have are vital original primary source material for future researchers, and need to be archived in safety. Best wishes for the project.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Many thanks Valerie for posting such an excellent post about such a brave seaman (your father). Maybe I would forget about the university touch and instead I would go to the ordinary school in Sunderland where he was taught.

Fouro.

I think that we all agree that Valerie's father was indeed a brave man and endured much and served his Country in time of need as did thousands of Merchant Seamen and that neither his or their service should be forgotten and in that event EVERY avenue should be explored in retaining these documents for posterity. Whist it is easy to dismiss the University route it is these University Archives that people use for research on all manner of subjects and the object of the exercise is to keep these valuable papers for posterity where they can be readily be available for all to access for one purpose or another; which sadly may not be the case if they are left in some local school depository never to be seen again until the school has a clear out.

Valerie by her very email composition seems to be a very capable lady and will surely take the right decision and there is no reason why every avenue of the recognition of her father's service cannot be achieved.