Three merchant navy men died 1940-1, can you help with their profile

[Andrew Walker Glasgow]

Hello, everyone, I am trying to profile the men whose names are listed on my local war memorial. Being only a few miles from the Clyde, this includes more than our share of sailors, especially man in the Merchant Navy. Rather than coming here to seek help with each in turn, I have three names, as follows:

John Cecil Gibbeson was Third Engineer on the City of Benares and died when she was sunk on 17th September 1940. I know very little about him, what I have is posted here:
https://bearsdenwm.blogspot.com/2024...-gibbeson.html

Thomas Alexander Robertson was Master of the Norman Monarch when she was sunk in May 1941. With his entire crew, he was rescued but that ship was then sunk. I know a bit more about him compared to John Gibbeson:
https://bearsdenwm.blogspot.com/2024...robertson.html

James Craig was Assistant Steward on the Thirlby and died in April 1941 when the ship was bombed while a day's sailing from Liverpool on an eastbound convoy. Again, I don't know much about him at all:
https://bearsdenwm.blogspot.com/2024...mes-craig.html

As you will see, my profiles are not works of original military history. I am aiming for something that people from my local area would find interesting and accessible so you MN specialists might need to scroll down to the second half of the post to see the bit that interest you. If you can help, I would be very grateful - this is not a commercial project in any way. I assume anything you can send me can be used to update the post with a suitable acknowledgement to you. Anything is gratefully received - a list of ships they served on, comments on what I have written, etc.

Thank you in advance.
Andrew

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Andrew
Thanks for the questions and the info given thus far.
I hope that there may be some here who can assist more in some way.

For me well just to start, i dont know where you got the info on James Craig, but anyway had you looked at the Deaths at Sea Register as well?
This entry is there but is a paid site! Find My Past (Deaths at Sea)

The Ship California, although shows 2 , they were both one and the same , just changed hands slightly in 1936.

147871		1147871	1923	CALIFORNIA	16792		V1923	#73	Anchor Line (Henderson Bros) Ltd	GBR Glasgow
147871		1147871	1923	CALIFORNIA	16792	1935	V1923	#73	Anchor Line (1935) Ltd	GBR Glasgow

The Ship Thirlby Built 1928 , 4888 Ton Cargo Ship. At Sunderland.
Sunk by U Boat 1942.. sm/t (U-109) 43.20N/66.15W 23.1.42 (3*) [New York-UK, maize]
Although you know he was on the Ship, there is a Crew List of 1930 that may still have his Records of him being on her ??

Official Number: 147871 California. | The National Archives

Crew List Index Project

James

Craig

1941

Thirlby

At Sea

BT 334

Deaths At Sea 1891 – 1972

So hope this may help as well??
I will look for more info as i go, and if anything will post here!
Cheers

I guess you got the info on JC Gibbeson from the FMP Death Records ?

Gibbeson

J C

—

1942

1942

British Armed Forces And Overseas Deaths And Burials

City of Benares, Great Britain

I am not 100% sure on this but think that there may be more information on these Seaman at the Southampton Archives in their Maritime Section? Worth an Ask i guess! Email them .
Cheers

[j.sabourn]

The only thing I can remember which is not really relevant to what you seek, is my early memories of Glasgow , the earliest was during the war staying for a short period in Shettleston in one of the tenements. Later the Iron Ore Jetty at General Terminus had friends that lived in Bearsden. Again later sailed with a Captain Turnbull from Glasgow when I was mate, believe he would have been the person who could have satisfied some of your queries as had been at sea during the war. However he was a good bit older than me and doubt very much he is around today. He was an ex master out of Hogarths and was made redundant and finished up with me sailing on foreign flag vessels. Think there are very few on site with clear memories of sea life in the era you seek. Cheers JS.

[Alan Blyth]

You may already know this - I’ve just received a copy of the book ‘Torpedoed’ by Deborah Heiligman on the sinking of City of Benares. Not read it yet. I don’t see John Gibbeson in the Index but he or his engineering colleagues may well be referenced in here.

[Alan Blyth]

I work not far from Tower Hill Memorial, so if you would like photos of the panels these three men appear on just let me know. Could probably get there on Monday.

Do you know this site - sometimes gives additional information not found elsewhere (for example my uncle’s ship became too old and slow for HX convoys and her last Atlantic convoy was in an SC (S for slow). This site quoted the convoy commodore recommending the ship was unsuitable for fast convoys. ConvoyWeb

[John Aikenhead]

Hello Andrew;
Although I can not add much to what you have said about Mr Thomas Alexander Robertson, I do have an interest in this subject.
My uncle Mr Alexander Aikenhead of South Shields was aged 20yrs when he was lost when the S.S. Harpagus was torpedoed & sunk
on 20/05/1941, I don't know if you have already tried searching on National Archives for more information on Mr Robertson but I
have just finished 4 months of searching on that site and others also with MCA Cardiff for information on my uncle's sea service in
an effort to obtain any Medals that he may have been entitled to. After much searching I managed to obtain his CRS Cards and also
the Logbook of the Harpagus showing entries from her Launching to her Sinking 1939-1941, once I had the CRS cards I was able to
then approach MCA to show that he had actually served on 5 vessels during that period including his last vsl Harpagus. From these
cards MCA did their investigation and advised that he was entitled to 3 medals, 1939/45 War Medal - Atlantic Star - 1939/45 Star
which I have just received last week. I was given the middle name Alexander in his memory when I was born in South Shields 1942
so I have always wondered about my uncle Alex and his short life as I was growing up.

I noticed with interest your copy of the crew list who were lost on Harpagus, I could not find my uncles name but its probably on the
following pages, I would appreciate very much if you could let me know where you found these crew list pages so I can try to obtain same.

Another site where you may find info is jampas@btopenworld.com per Mr James Pasby, he runs a site name ENAS (Every Name A Story)
This is an excellent site to assist in building a family history, James helped me a great deal during my searching.
I'm not sure if I can post email addresses here or other site names but I leave it to the moderator's to decide on that.

B/Rgd's; John Alexander Aikenhead.