Royal Navy personnel on Merchant Ships

[Stuart Ogilvie]

I am trying to prove that my late dad, John Ogilvie, served on Russian convoys in WW2. He was a Royal Navy Signalman serving on the Commodore's staff on board merchant ships. He is listed in the log books of ships sailing to USA but not on the Russian convoys. I know one convoy that he was on put have no "proof". Does anyone know where I may be able to find out any information regarding this? I have tried the RN and National Archives with no success, so I am unable to get his Arctic Star for my mother. Any help would be appreciated.

[Hugh]

Hello and welcome Stuart,

Royal Navy personnel must be the most frustrating of all the services to research due to the way their service is noted. If a shore establishment was handling the seaman's account then the accounting base is shown on service records but not the actual seagoing ships. This is a problem especially when researching CONSIGS staff and DEMS gunners.

Have you asked the RN for his Pay and Victualling records?
Do you know any of the ships he sailed in during the Russian convoys and have you looked at the crew agreements?

Regards
Hugh

[Stuart Ogilvie]

I contacted the RN and managed to get his victualling records. I have been able to work out the US, African and Gibraltar convoys but not the Russian. Where are the crew agreements held? I looked at the log books at the National Archives but no RN personnel are listed on the ships I looked at.

Regards
Stuart

Hello and welcome Stuart,

Royal Navy personnel must be the most frustrating of all the services to research due to the way their service is noted. If a shore establishment was handling the seaman's account then the accounting base is shown on service records but not the actual seagoing ships. This is a problem especially when researching CONSIGS staff and DEMS gunners.
Regards
Hugh

[Hugh]

The crew agreement is part of the official logbook and is a complete list of all those who signed the articles of agreement. DEMS gunners are always listed as part of the crew but not always the case for CONSIGS staff. The chances are the CONSIGS staff may be noted in the narrative of the official logbook but are unlikely to be on the crew agreement.

I know one convoy that he was on put have no "proof"

What convoy was it and how do you know?

Probably doesn't help but I have him travelling as a passenger, part of the CONSIGS staff, on 9 July 1944 leaving Liverpool for the USA on ss COPTIC. The Commodore was Reidar G. Bruusgaard.

Regards
Hugh

* I see we have been in touch on another forum. This research thing can take time as you are finding out.

[Stuart Ogilvie]

My mother told me about one of the Russian convoys he was on. On his return he was married to my mum.
I knew about SS Coptic and a few others. The USA convoys have all the Commodore's staff listed in the log books.
I am not giving up but it does take a lot of effort to nit get very far!

Regards

Stuart

The crew agreement is part of the official logbook and is a complete list of all those who signed the articles of agreement. .




Regards
Hugh

I see we have been in touch on another forum. This research thing can take time as you are finding out.