Mine sweepers - WW2

[Daniel Beale]

Hi all, my grandad was a stoker on a mine sweeper in the MN during WW2. All I have is his name (Edwin Jolly) and a B&W photo of him. I have no idea where to start. Can any body help please????

[E.Martin]

Hi all, my grandad was a stoker on a mine sweeper in the MN during WW2. All I have is his name (Edwin Jolly) and a B&W photo of him. I have no idea where to start. Can any body help please????

If your grandad was on a Minesweeper he was not Merchant Navy.
He would most likely to have been in the Royal Naval Patrol Service.
Get in touch with RNPS they might be able to help you.
Have you any ship names?.

[Ivan Cloherty]

If your grandad was on a Minesweeper he was not Merchant Navy.
He would most likely to have been in the Royal Naval Patrol Service.
Get in touch with RNPS they might be able to help you.
Have you any ship names?.

I think you will find that many trawlers in WW1 and WWII were requisitioned by the War Department to act as minesweepers, these were manned by a mixture of trawlermen, Merchant Seamen and Royal Navy personnel.

I sailed (after the war) on the trawler. "Swanland" which served her country in both World Wars as a mine sweeper. nearly 50% of the Hull fishing fleet were requisitioned as either armed patrol boats or minesweepers manned by a mixture of personnel.

Ivan

[Keith at Tregenna]

The paddle steamer Barry and many more operated as Mine Sweepers and troop carriers etc in both major conflicts. The Barry was renamed HMS Barryfield in WW1 and lost as the HMS Snaefell in WW2. I still search for full info and crew lists from then.

K.

[Harvey Lovewell]

Hi There. I also do not know where to start, My Dad was in minesweepers for a long time. His boat was Netsukis, and as a little kid, my Mum took me to see it and him when he went to the Isle of Man unsure of the date, might have been in 1944.
After this long time, I doubt that anyone is left to remember this, but any information on this would help me.

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Harvey
As i have asked others , can we have your Dad,s Name Place of Birth please.
This way we can look and see if there ae any records etc for him.
The Archives are down at the moment but hope fully will return to normal soon, then i will look into this for you.
Will await your reply!
Cheers

[j.sabourn]

#5Someone who may have known him was a mate I had with me in 1988, his name was Wally Matheson and he was an ex Fleetwood trawler
skipper.However he was 69 in 1988 so would imagine he is no longer with us , Wally served on minesweepers during the war, unfortuanetley
the short time he was with me he must of thought he was still fighting the war due to his being brought back to his deck duties
From his watch below as was a case of all hands on deck few as they were. There was also an ex.matelot from the Falklands war on a warship
hit by an Exocet and both told me that nothing could compare with the ferocity and death that occurred at the disaster at the Piper Alpha.
The ex Falklands seaman never went back to sea again , went into local politics in Scotland. Think Wally finished up baby sitting laid up ships.
JS