The Forgotten Service...still forgotten.

Barry’s Book of Remembrance – adding the missing names

On Saturday, September 22, at the Memorial Hall in Barry, the Royal British Legion is staging a Festival of Remembrance with a particular focus on the centenary of the Great War.

A centrepiece of the evening will be a Book of Remembrance of Barry’s fallen of the war, compiled by historian and headteacher Dr Jonathan Hicks who has spent 13 years researching Barry’s contribution to the First World War.

As a result, the Book of Remembrance now contains an updated, definitive Roll of Honour of Barry men from all four services who died as a result of the war.

The book has been produced by the Royal British Legion with support from a legacy by former member Tommy Nettleship.

The Roll of Honour in the Hall of Memory in Barry Memorial Hall is a wonderful tribute to the fallen of that terrible conflict, but it is of its time and contains some errors, and in addition a number of men were omitted when the roll was first compiled in 1932.

Families had died off or moved out of the area and as a result many men’s names were not submitted. Unless it could be proved that a Merchant Navy man had died as the result of enemy action, then his name did not appear on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, and therefore was not included in the Roll of Honour.

I have taken the decision to add these men as, to my mind, they died on active service during the war; my reasoning being that men in the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force who died as the result of illness or an accident are included.

As an example of this, on New Year’s Eve 1915 the Admiralty collier SS Satrap left Barry on sealed Government orders. She went missing on a stormy day and 11 Barry sailors were never seen again.

The wreck now lies off the coast of Pembrokeshire, near Manorbier. The third engineer was H May of 171 Gladstone Road. This was only his second voyage.

An interesting footnote to the story of the Satrap is that a few days after her sinking a member of the crew, Seaman Alexis Ivanhoe, was seen alive in Barry.

He was arrested and stood trial for his absence from the sailing and was sentenced to a month’s hard labour. Upon his release he went back to sea and was killed as the result of enemy action in 1918 when the SS Turnbridge sank.

These are just some of the men who laid down their lives serving their country by running the gauntlet of the German U-boats in the waters around Britain to ensure that food and essential raw materials were brought into the country.

In the trenches near Maricourt on the Somme on the morning of August 27, 1916 was Rifleman James John from Barry.

James had written home: "Our patrol reported a large German working party wiring to the right of our line. We went out and mounted our machine gun about 30 yards from them.

"The Lewis gun spoke, perhaps more spiteful and deadly than ever because I remembered my chums and also how three nights previous when we were marching over a road leading to the line that we had to pick our steps over a score of our lads, dead and dying…

"Snipers watch from dawn until dusk for targets. Trench mortars, rifle and hand grenades, shells of all descriptions and sizes, come at intervals. At nights machine gun fire sweeps parapets, communication trenches, roads near firing line etc. Bombarding is in the daily routine and nightly.

"You see the flash of the guns, hear the report, and then wait for the explosion; thoughts run riot in your brain; a flash, boom, and a crunch, and one, three, or perhaps 20 human beings are gone to the skies."

James John was killed later that same day when a German shell exploded in the trench in which he was standing.

In December 1916, Corporal David Towers of the 17th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers was awarded the Military Medal.

David was 20 years old and the eldest son of Mr and Mrs D Towers of 29 Travis Street, but was adopted from childhood by his uncle Philip Phillips of 41 Evans Street, Barry Dock.

He had joined the Army in 1914 and was awarded the MM for ‘gallant conduct during a raid on the enemy trenches on the night of 17/18th November, when attached to the 115th Trench Mortar Battery during the Battle of the Somme.’

On the night stated, David Towers was ordered to go out into no man’s land in charge of a trench mortar just before a battle was to begin. The reason for the order was to deceive the Germans. Shells and bullets began to fall around but he and his crew stuck to their trench mortar and carried it back safely.

David Towers was killed just a few months later on February 2, 1917. Writing home, Captain Morris of the same battery intimated that Towers was killed by a German shell. His last words were ‘I am hit!’

All of these men are now commemorated in the Book of Remembrance. Their sacrifice should never be forgotten.

| News | Glamorgan Gem Ltd


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Rob, ideally to draw attention of the general public what you need is someone like Paul Berriff who knows his way round that part of the hen coop. Some of his pictures I am told are way out and sought after. It’s 10 years since I was in communication with him or near enough. But if he was available he would be ideal to champion the cause. Maybe not feasible due to other commitments , but he has enough background knowledge of maritime lore to be believable.. any of you braw Yorkshiremen who may know him may have a better idea of his situation. JS

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Originally Posted by robpage

World War 1& 2 , Korea , Vietnam , Suez , gulf war , falklands were clearly defined actions and therefore anyone who served in a war zone is a veteran . but so is Jack Dusty who never left Portsmouth for 22 years

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That is why my mate in UK received out of the blue a veterans medal for his time on troop carriers in the Korean war and the Suez crisis of 1956.

I am of the opinion that the age of the person at the end of the line has a bearing on whether your request is met or not.
The older staff members would have a far better concept of what the Red Ensign represents where as to some of the younger ones it would mean zilch.

That is why it is important that we do al we can to keep the story and memory going for future generations to hopefully understand.

When it comes to the veterans badge I have very strong feelings that the Merchant Navy is again treated as the poor relation as we have been over many things over many years . I have been a member of the British Legion for 50 years many of them as an associate with no voting rights . When you look at the Merchant Navy in wartime whether it was the Falklands War or World War II the guys on the ships unarmed or poorly armed wear out taking a much bigger risk then men on Faster More highly defended warships ,and deservedly all those guys get the veterans medal but so do many people that I know who have spent 22 years or some 30 years in service in the Royal Navy and have not actually left is Portsmouth Shore base at HMS Nelson or HMS Excellent as well as the training bases over on Gosport .

I think that the Merchant Navy has been treated like we are were handy and there when needed and once the task was completed we were paid and Pat it on the head . Every time there has been a parade to the glory of the guys who go and stick themselves out on the front line I always feel that the Merchant Navy is invite for the party is either slow in coming or lost in the post

I'm not bitter about it I was well paid for doing a job for over 22 years but I thoroughly enjoyed and I got out before my liver ended up in a jar in the Queen Alexandra Hospital

I was visiting Virginia in the United States a few years ago and I went to the D-Day Museum quite away in land in Bedford they had a golf cart tour of quite a large Museum and a golf cart said veterans only I was walking with a stick that was in my fitter days and the guy driving the golf cart said are you a veteran I said no I'm xx Merchant Navy he said get on the cart . He then explained that he had been on a beach in Normandy and on Day 2 they needed more bullets cans of beef and a few other bits and pieces and the Merchant marine supplied them without the Merchant Marine those Frontline soldiers would not have got off that beach and he told me in a manner admonishing my apologetic way . After a lengthy tour around the museum as I got off the car he looked up and said and don't you ever forget the guys in the Merchant marine also served I had a lump in my throat especially as he dismounted the cart and I realise that both his legs were aluminium tubes . He obviously saw me looking and said yes my legs are in a beach in Normandy but they never shut my ass out lump in my throat is bigger . That was all the Accolade I ever wanted to hear for the Merchant Navy

I will write to my Borough Council in plenty of time for next year and let's hope they know what a red Ensign is maybe I'll send them a picture

I am referring toVeterans Lapel Badges which have been mentioned in this topic

After completing an application form, I received an HMAF Veteran Lapel Badge from the MOD. I can't prove it was sent to me personally simply because the letter from the MOD which was enclosed with the Lapel Badge didn't mention that I was the actual recipient. Maybe the cost of typing my name and number on the letter would have been more expensive than what the value of the cheap badge was worth.

Regards from,
Fouro.

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Originally Posted by Stan Carter

approximately five days before 3rd sept I sent a submission to the editor of our local online news service. I explained that it was a day dedicated to the Merchant Navy, the forgotten service, to honour the 32,ooo Canadian,British and allied seafarers who perished during WW2.... His response was good and stated they would do something with it... Noting appeared on the 2nd, or the 3rd...Being totally pi--ed off I fired off another email stating my disappointment for the no show....I'm still waiting for an answer.....Tree huggers and bird watchers don't seem to have any problem getting their submissions printed...
rgards, stan

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Hi Stan, don’t dispare we in Kirkbymoorside, All Saints Church, had flown the Red Duster all this week for the Merchant Navy Day.
Jarvis.

here is the badge,

Rob, Visiting my Son in Virginia last year, I was also treated with gratitude and kindness by many people older vets remembering D Day and how the M.N. got them there. None I spoke with, knew the meaning of the M.N. and the Armed Forces Vets Badge on my Legion Vets cap. It's the same here during the poppy campaign. will be tagging poppies again this year, if HE is willing. Keep up the good work, Y'all. Cheers, Eric

#35... That’s right enough Fouro. The small piece of paper has the Ministry of Defense letterhead. With the following message.....
With the compliments of the Ministry for Defense Personnel, Welfare and Veterans.
This UK Merchant Seafarers Veterans Badge is presented to you in recognition of your contribution to HM Armed Forces military operations .

Ministry of Defence, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB.

No names no pack drill. However I believe the campaign medals are distributed in a similar manner.
To get a citation I think they probably start at a good conduct of service medal.
Myself I prefer to call them campaign ribbons.
We used to as kids take the cork out of the bottle top and put it back in on the other side of your jersey to affix the coloured bottle top to represent a medal. Think of all the sheets of fullscap these US generals would have to carry around as proof that they could wear. Cheers JWS.

My mate who got his this week did not apply for it, just received a letter to say it was on it's way and was for his services on troop carriers during the Korean War and the Suez crisis of 1956. He was an apprentice cook at the time of the Korean conflict and only 16 years old.

Here in Oz we have the Returned Services League, designed originally for returned service men and women.

When we first came here we wee allowed in as I was ex MN and could prove it.

But times have now changed, the numbers were falling away so they opened to all in about 1985 here in Victoria.