Central Register of
Seamen 1941-1972
The
Central Register of Seamen came into existence through various strands of
legislation and changing conditions. Pre war the National Service (Armed
Forces) Act of 1939 laid the basis for conscription into the armed services.
All of the relevant ages were required to register with the Ministry of Labour
under this Act. Merchant mariners, whether currently or formerly serving, were
not exempted, but would not be conscripted into the armed services if they
continued to sign onto merchantmen. It should be noted that in the early stages
the call up only affected young men between the ages of 20 to 23 though. And,
according to the official history (C.B.A. Behrens: Merchant Shipping and the Demands of War) immediately pre war
slightly over 70 per cent of British merchant mariners (excluding Lascars) were
over twenty-five. So, with this in mind, the (illogical) perception that there
would not be an increased need for merchant mariners in wartime and the natural
‘reserves’ of merchant mariners not only from the normal casual form of
recruitment for most, but also through the lean years of under employment of
the 1920s and 30s, manning was not seen as an important issue by the then controlling
wartime Ministry of Shipping.
It
would appear that some of the peacetime assumptions (made by the Marine
Department of the Board of Trade and inherited by the Ministry of Shipping)
went slightly awry. Without the threat of conscription to make mariners (other
than within the ages under the National Service Acts) return to the sea there
was nothing to make them stay at sea if they did not
want to. In time there was a perception (within the civil service departments)
that mariners were creeping ashore, to better-paid and safer jobs. They were
also supposedly staying at home between voyages for longer periods than they
had done in peacetime. It was also maintained (in the official history) that
all the normal ‘disciplinary’ problems associated with the inability to
realistically deal with merchant mariner defaulters,
especially in relation to not joining and desertion, were magnified in wartime
through an increase in these activities - thereby affecting the supply of
manpower. And, as far as the R.G.S.S. was concerned it was even possible for
the youngsters of conscription age to leave the sea and yet not be called up
through not re-registering with the Ministry of Labour. The last was especially
so, since around June 1940 the planned mechanism for keeping tabs on those
seamen of military age failed. Interestingly, the official history did admit that the civil servants did not
understand the full complexity of the matter and in particular to the casualty
rates suffered by merchant mariners at sea. Also, it later turned out that the
delays in sailing had actually been negligible.
After
the fall of France the concept of the control of manpower became an important
issue, not just for the supply to the armed forces, but also industrially. As
of the spring of 1941 a series of Essential Work Orders was the result. The one
for the merchant service was formulated later in the year, coming into force in
May 1942. Along with the relevant Registration for Employment Order these meant
inherent changes to the employment of merchant mariners.
Under
this Registration for Employment Order all (civilian) men between
18 and 60 who had served on merchant vessels any time from 1936 onwards were
required to register. (It would appear from personal research
that women working at sea were ‘encouraged’ to return to shore in 1942.)
Employment became continuous, complete with paid leave entitlement. Mariners
not on merchantmen were held in ‘the pool’, for redeployment where and when
needed. In reality in time there were a number of these pools throughout the
world and some for specific operations, such as Overlord - the Invasion of
North West Europe. While the National Maritime Board (formed in 1920 as
negotiating machinery for the industry) formulated the detail in relation to the
pool, most of the day to day administrative work was carried out by the
(owners’) Shipping Federation.
Perhaps
because of the above (not bringing in the traditional network of mercantile
marine offices and other State officials abroad) there were some faults in the
system. Some mariners were not included in the system
because they had not had the opportunity to register under the Employment
Order. If on short haul trips they were taken in when they returned to the
United Kingdom. But, others who had been on ocean-going voyages and did not
return to the U.K. remained outwith the system - some late into the war. Although these individuals
sometimes had some freedoms to leave their vessels abroad (depending on the
articles signed) there was also the distinct disadvantage - if their ships were
sunk their pay was stopped, as had overwhelmingly been the case up to then.
Post
World War the Central Register of Seamen was continued. As can be seen from
surviving files, partially this was due to the continuation of conscription
into the armed forces, but also because Ministry of War Transport officials
were of the opinion that this could be used to future commercial advantage.
Unfortunately, this future would prove far from rosy for the merchant service,
but the C.R.S. continued to be compiled until 1972.
Although
there is comparatively little left in released administrative files, with
practical handling by modern researchers more is now understood about this
bureaucratic system. There were many different aspects to the C.R.S, as can be
found in the numbered forms elsewhere, but the surviving main body at the PRO is made up of two different
types of documentation. There are the ‘Docket Books’ (C.R.S. 10) and the
‘Seamen’s Pouches’ (C.R.S. 3).
Unlike
the cards of the Central Index Register before it, which are to be seen in
microfiche form, the Docket Books are lightweight paper documents, bound
together into thousands of books. When the relevant book(s) have been drawn
they are simple enough to use, being in alphabetical order. However, there is a
potential problem in initially locating them - if one uses the electronic
catalogue (PROCAT). This cataloguing is less than helpful. But the paper
catalogue has now been updated with the relevant pages and is simple enough to
use
The
actual information within these documents can be extremely detailed. As well as
sea time this may include pensions for
injuries received, or medals issued. Unfortunately, no photographic records
were kept in these files.
There
are a number of sections, covering Europeans, non-Europeans and mariners on a
limited ‘war service’. Nevertheless, there are certain limitations that must be
kept in mind. As with the C.I.R. mariners who did not touch ports in the U.K.
were not included - whatever their nationality. And, during the Second World
War period some Allied nations, such as the Norwegians, operated their merchant
tonnage in effect as ‘Free’ Merchant Navies in exile. Therefore, these men will
also not be included in the British pool system. Also, I have come across a few
cases where mariners’ docket book entries have been filed in the incorrect
books - such as those of a chap who did not go to sea until 1955 being in the
1941-46 series.
Much less is known about the ‘Seamen’s
Pouches’.
On discharge various documents apparently were put in these that could include
their British Seaman’s Identity Cards, applications for new identity cards and
the cards from the earlier C.I.R. Unfortunately large quantities of the earlier
pouches have been destroyed: apparently approximately 90,000 of them. Those
surviving can be seen only under supervision of P.R.O. staff.
Below
gives an idea of the basic type of information given in a Docket Book:-
Example of an entry within a Docket Book in the
Central Register of Seamen
With
more records now having been released, those of C.O.M.N.O. (Combined Office
Merchant Navy Operations) should be regarded as part of the C.R.S. and are also
at Kew. They cover the 1944 to 1945 period for those involved in support of
military operations for the liberation of North West Europe. These are in the
form of pouches and the records within are purely administrative, but can give
detail not found in other documents.
Found
by chance, there are some other records from the
C.R.S. at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. This small collection of
documents is as yet only partly catalogued, but can be ordered as ‘Records of
Merchant Navy Reserve Pool for WWII’. There are now three boxes of these.
Within are forms roughly in alphabetical order, originally bundled together in
R.S. 3 pouches stamped ‘INEFFECTIVE’, but which have now been removed by N.M.M.
staff.
Studying
these individual documents, some at least of the mariners had died or been
killed. This then would seem to indicate that the missing pouches are indeed
the result of a post war housekeeping exercise by civil servants.
The
mariners represented within these would seem to cover all ranks, ratings, races
and creeds, on foreign and home trade. The majority of the surviving forms
cover three types, but so far have only been catalogued as two, plus ‘others’:-
C.R.S.
2 - Merchant Navy Personnel -
Discharge to Leave and Reserve Pool (also worded as Transfer from Ship to Leave and Reserve Pool)
Apart
from showing personal details (sometimes including mariners’ next of kin);
their last ship and next ship engaged on (the latter only in some cases), it
indicates which Merchant Navy Reserve Pool office mariners were to report to
and their address while on leave.
C.R.S.
4 - Entry form to Merchant Navy
Reserve Pool (when not direct from sea-going employment)
C.R.S.
54 - Application for British Seaman’s
Identity Card
These
include a lot of personal details including Efficient Deck Hand, Ship’s Cook,
Lifeboat certificates held; national health insurance society a member of ;
unemployment insurance local office; union membership; next of kin; and very
often ‘hand and shoulders’ photograph(s).
But there is
also a smattering of other forms. From searches so far conducted these
include:-
C.R.S. 6 - Merchant Navy Reserve Pool Absentee Report
Saliently,
these give the last known address of mariners this form was raised for
C.R.S. 55
(Revised) - Application form for
British Seaman’s Identity Card
This is a variation
on the C.R.S. 54 but also for those lost, damaged and the like.
C.R.S. 65 - Action sheet - Surrendered or Impounded Identity Card
Exn. 2b - Application to be examined for a certificate of
efficiency as lifeboatman
Hospital Form
No. 2A
These show
details of discharge from hospital
Strangely,
it would appear that only one single document of any of the above types has
been kept for individuals. So, for the vast majority of genealogists this
collection is of incredibly limited use. Nevertheless, it might be helpful if docket book entries and pouches
are missing at the P.R.O.