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8th April 2020, 07:45 PM
#1
Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
My father is listed on the crew list of S/S MARYLYN under the heading of "Apprentices over 18 years of age". Adrian Edwards Millar, his date of joining the ship was January 6, 1940. There is a small oval stamp over his name which reads "Badge M.M. Issued". Does this refer to the small Merchant Navy Lepel pin. I have this badge of my fathers but I am curious if this stamp refers to some other badge. I note this stamp over the names of several of the crew. Thanks for the help.
Ian A. Millar
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8th April 2020, 08:52 PM
#2
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
As the MN did not have uniforms they were issued with lattice work silver MN badges to wear on their civilian attire when ashore. They came into being as many ashore were so ignorant (and still are!) of the role of the MN in both wartime and peace and had no concept of how dangerous it was. Women used to hand MN personnel in civvies white feathers calling them draft dodgers and cowards. These people still exist today and do not seem to realise they live on an island where over 90% of what they use comes by sea.They were also issued by the Shipping Federation during National Service, one of my proud possessions and worn with pride. The genuine badges are silver with a brass twist button hole fixture so that you cannot easily lose them or have them torn off
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9th April 2020, 01:51 AM
#3
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
Hi Ivan.
I have the silver MN badge. And as for the white feathers; when I visited my brother in Christchurch in the 50s, my brother told me the story of when him and his mate had just paid off in Liverpool; and were waiting for the train to go home to Swansea, when these two women came up and gave them white feathers, they thumbed their silver badges at them, but the women had no idea what they were. When they told them they had just come off a convoy from Canada; the women scurried off embarrassed.
Des
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9th April 2020, 06:29 AM
#4
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
I have a couple of lapel pins for MN.
Each is on one of my hats, I have two, very few have even the slightest concept of what it is.
The only recognition has been in a couple of Oz ports when booking in for a cruise and there have been a few old hands working there.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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9th April 2020, 08:17 AM
#5
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
Going back to #1. if not already said. The stamp MM issued is saying the MN badge was issued via the Mercantile Marine Office, also Everyone under 18 was listed on a special page of the agreement. A lot of dry ships used to issue a tot of rum on a Saturday night , if you were listed as under 18 you weren’t supposed to get, normally that was for the birds unless the chief steward didn’t like you. JS.
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9th April 2020, 12:18 PM
#6
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
Thank you all for the comments, I do recall that my father mentioned that the small silver pin was all that they had showing they were active in the war effort. In this country (USA) the merchant seamen was often regarded as a draft dodger and a bum. You can chock all the negative vibrations up to a very real anti merchant marine attitude by many officers in the US Navy who even up to more recent times regarded merchant seamen as Communists (often linking them to maritime unions and working against the war effort. As a boy I well remember that my father was never invited to take part in Memorial Day parades although now the 39-45 merchant seamen are allowed to march based on their veterans status. I used to give talks on the part the merchant seamen played in the war and it almost never failed that someone would speak out against the merchant seamen no matter the truthful experiences I would relate. Sadly some people are content in their ignorance. My father first went to sea in the Merchant Navy as an Apprentice and later served in the US Merchant Marine as Chief Officer I have never forgotten the lack of respect for those who gave so much.
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9th April 2020, 12:54 PM
#7
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
According to statistics that I have read, the British. Merchant Navy lost more people percentage wise than any of the British Armed Services. Numbers speak for themselves and it doesn’t take an Einstein to work out and realise out of all the services who took the biggest casualties. Apart from merchant seamen who were to all intents and purposes civilians. Have you ever asked how many civilians were killed in the blitz and the almost daily other raids on the UK. Maybe the government of the day were too embarrassed to print the true totals at wars end. Cheers JWS.
Last edited by j.sabourn; 9th April 2020 at 12:59 PM.
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9th April 2020, 04:04 PM
#8
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
Ian, The stamp is on page 3 of my Discharge Book R262245 issued at the return of my first ship Ocean Wanderer from the Torch operation, Dec. 24th 1942 in Salford U.K. Still have the badge. Cheers, Eric
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9th April 2020, 07:46 PM
#9
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
Posts #1&2 This from Talbot-Booth's His Majesty's Merchant Navy. No3 explains the silver badge.
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9th April 2020, 09:07 PM
#10
Re: Merchant Navy Badge stamp on crew list
#9 Cannot read the rext Bill, have tried enlarging, but still no luck
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