WW1 Merchant Seaman

[Canuc]

Not sure I'm in the right place for this question but figure this was the better start point.

A great uncle was killed as a result of enemy action in St George's Channel, December 1915.

The TS Van Stirum was attached by a German submarine. The damage was enough for the Master to abandon ship, John Hetherington stayed on board to release the falls to the life boats. As he descended the ship's side to the lifeboat the submarine surfaced and fired their deck gun.
December 25th was never a happy time for my Grt Grandmother (the woman in my Avatar, his elder brother on her knee).

My question is what medals would he have been entitled to? I believe it was the British War Medal and the Mercantile Marine War Medal. Do records exist to indicate what he was entitled to and if they were issued I've had no luck bringing anything up so far?

Happy hunting
Canuc

[MaxD]

There are five medal cards in the National Archives for merchant seamen named John Hetherington
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_st=adv&_aq=john%20hetherington&_ep=medal&_or1=mercantile&_dss=range&_ro=any

If one of the birth dates/places match your man then you might like to download it for £3.45

maxD

[Canuc]

maxD,

Thank you for looking but none of those are my Jarrow born man. I did wonder if his age might have been a barrier but I see that one of the five was also born in 1898 so that rules that idea out.

Thanks again
Canuc

[Landyman]

I can't see your man listed by the CWG Commision or am I missing something?

The Van Stirum wwas not operating as a troop ship when she was sunk. If your man he had been a sailor in the Merchant Marine then he should have been eligible for the Mercantile Marine Medal. Are you sure there are no erroros on the medal roll or index? Alternatively, if he was sailing under  a Dutch flag he would not been entitled to the Mercantile Marine medal as he would not have been in the British Merchant Navy.

These websites say a little more about the ship - and suggest she was sailing under a UK flag.

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?169685

http://www.uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/6253.html

[Canuc]

Landyman,

I don't have his Continuous Record of Discharge. His memorial is on Tower Hill, see photo. I have a letter sent either by the ship's Master or a person at his sea training school (Jack was 17 when he died). I don't have it to hand to seek any details, but it suggests he was under a British Flag. The vessel did regular runs to Rouen, there is a post card sent from there, and the last letter he wrote to his mother was when they put in for repairs after being struck by another vessel on a return run from Rouen.

I suppose if we search for the Coxswain I may get closer to the answer.

Happy hunting
Canuc

[Canuc]

Started looking for Belanger and have come across the crew list
http://1915crewlists.rmg.co.uk/document/210275
Going to have a read of it now.

And yes, sailing under a British Ensign (probaly red, but maybe blue as the vessel was on contract to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty)

Canuc

[HMac]

JT Hetherington's previous ships were MONKSGARTH and E8601. His initials are poorly transcribed in the 1915 crew lists as LJ Hetherington. Still no WW1 medal file for him. I don't see him listed as Mercantile Marine Reserve operating under Admiralty agreements either. If that is the case then he will not have a surviving medal entitlement which can be claimed as is the case for WW2.
He would have been entitled to the Mercantile Marine Medal and the British War Medal.

Regards
Hugh 

[Canuc]

Hugh,

Thank you, the verbal family history only knows of the Van Stirum and given his age there was no thought we needed to look for previous ships. But, if I think about it he must have been doing something from age 14, his brother was apprenticed to a carpenter at that age.

Happy hunting
Canuc

[Canuc]

Hugh,

Looking at the Monksgarth Crew List he was discharged Apr 22, 1915 and doesn't sign on to the Van Stirum till July. Does the "Navy League" silk suggest that he was still in training and maybe offer an explanation for the gap in time between the two vessels?

It's looking like I've got to have asit down with this new information and the letters and newspaper cuttings to try and tease out a time line of where he might have been from age 14 to Dec 25th.

Shame that the transcription is wrong there's no doubt it was a J and in both Crew Lists it is Jack who has filled in his name because both show a "J" exactly how Jack formed his "J's".

Look forward to hearing your thoughts
Canuc