Wartime Naval Court Records

[daisy1942]

Hi,

Any suggestions where to go to research a wartime Naval Court case?  Hearings held in Rome, Naples and Marseille in 1943

[GrahamSimons]

A Royal Navy Court Martial? It'll be at the National Archives, though their online guidance doesn't seem to deal with Naval Courts Martial, only Army ones. But using their Catalogue, the Index is available at ADM194/46 which runs 1940-1968.
By searching for "Court Martial" within the ADM series, I've managed quite a few hits, including on the first page one about an attack on HM minesweepers by friendly fire, and one for an Ordinary Seaman for desertion. On the next page are Returns of Officers tried by Court Martial, arranged by quarter year, and separate Returns of Seamen, Petty Officers and Marines. These go on for several pages, then there are other Court Martial reports - one for murder, one for " guilty of making remarks and statements favourable to the enemy and subversive of Naval discipline," "fraudulent misapplication of public funds," and others. It was another world - from 1940: "Sentences of birching: approval to carry out sentences by Court Martial at Aden." There are a good number of Courts Martial following the loss of HM ships: as I understand the issue, any captain whose ship is lost has to account for himself at a Court Martial.
Sorry - I've got carried away - so many of the cases look fascinating!

The bad news is that, unsurprisingly, nothing has been digitised, so a visit to Kew or the help of someone visiting Kew will be needed.

It does occur to me that if it's a major case - such as murder or the loss of a ship - something will show up if you do a bit of web searching.

Best of luck....

[daisy1942]

A Royal Navy Court Martial? It'll be at the National Archives,........ and one for an Ordinary Seaman for desertion.
Sorry - I've got carried away - so many of the cases look fascinating!

The bad news is that, unsurprisingly, nothing has been digitised, so a visit to Kew or the help of someone visiting Kew will be needed.

Best of luck....

Hi Simon,

Many thanks for the help I shall have to wait till I get to Kew or can persuade someone to go looking for me.
The Navy court records I am after are of case(s) {??} involving my father in law   To be sure he was not averse to deserting I know he did so at least once but the particular case is where he took offence at an officer and promptly clocked him one!  Dad appealed to the Irish Consulate in Rome for help and was granted it. I am also wondering if it would come under Royal Navy court martial records as Dad was quite definitely in the Merchant Navy at the time.

Regard
Daisy1942

[GrahamSimons]

I haven't a clue how the MN rather than RN discipline worked - it would be under BT rather than ADM at Kew, if it's there at all.

Let's hope that someone else knowledgeable will have the answer. You might ask the experts at the National Maritime Museum - they might know.