# Help with information, please.



## davemccloy (Nov 15, 2011)

I started a search for information about my Dad (Thomas McCloy) in 2011. I had very little information. 
I have now been to the National Archives but due to time restraints I only manage to get limited information. 
Is there anywhere you can do a search using his Discharge 'A' number? What is a certificate of competency grade? followed by the initials 'TYB'. Any ideas what the number '016650' means? or the number '53/BS05015' followed by the date 9/2/43? 
There is also 'NR110 cancelled - dilapidated', what does this mean?
In the bottom right hand corner of the do***ent there is stamped (in red ink) '1939-43 Star Ribbon issued', what does this mean?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
All the best,
Dave McCloy


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hi Dave,

I would need to see the do***ent in its context to advise you.



> In the bottom right hand corner of the do***ent there is stamped (in red ink) '1939-43 Star Ribbon issued', what does this mean?


It means that he was entitled to the 1939-1945 Star but at that time only the Ribbon was issued to the seaman on arrival at his port. The actual medal had to be minted and the seaman had to apply to get them....some didn't bother and never received their actual medals, my dad included and I had to organise to get his entitlement after he passed away. If he didn't get his medals his next of kin can apply but you would need to gather the evidence in his service records - I can advise you on this if need be.

NR 110 would, I am sure, be related to the 1939 National Registration Act whereby every citizen had to carry an ID card.

You can search for seaman's pouches if they have survived but many have not and CRS 10 (service record) but not all records are available online...if you wish to give any details, date and place of birth I can advise.
Was he born in Co Antrim in 1915?

Regards
Hugh


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## davemccloy (Nov 15, 2011)

Morning Hugh. D.O.B. 06/04/1911, Place of birth - Liverpool. The only do***ent I got a copy of from Kew is a C.R.S.10. I am looking for the ships he sailed on, particularly during the war. If he joined the Merchant Navy from school then this would have been around 1926/27. I have details of 5 ships ranging from 1929 to 1940. His Discharge 'A' number is R43841. Thank you for replying and I hope you can point me in the right direction for more information. Regards, Dave


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hi Dave,
I see no seaman's pouch for him under name or Dis. A which is not unsurprising to me as many were destroyed in the late 60s.
If you have details of his ship's prior to 1940 then you must have his discharge book up to that point, is that correct? The CRS 10 is supposed to record centrally his ships from Jan, 1941 but you say you have that do***ent. Could I get a look at it please?

Regards
Hugh


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## davemccloy (Nov 15, 2011)

*C.r.s.10*

Morning Hugh,

Firstly I do not have his Discharge Book and I think that is at the root of my problems trying to find information.

The C.R.S. 10. I have from Kew is a photocopy of both sides but on an A3 sized photocopy paper. Below is a description of the photocopies. 

Description: (in inches) 7+7/8ths" wide by 5" high. 1/2" diagonal cut off the top left-hand corner. 3/4" margin on the left-hand side of the front with 4 punch holes in it.

Wording: All the details about my father are written in black fountain pen and I have put the written words in brackets.
Top line: Christian names - (Thomas)... Surname -(McCLOY)
2nd line: Birth: Date - (6-4-1911)...Place -(Liverpool)... Dis. A - (R43841)
3rd line: Rank or Rating -(A.B.)... Cert of Competency - Grade - (Gunners) written above 'Gunners' is a tick followed by 'TYB - 016650 1/10/52'
4th line: N.R. No - (YNHA 134795)... National Service A.F. Act No (MMD/11/47658)
5th line: Other Qualifications - (V Spl 2.11.43)
Written below 'Other Qualifications' are 3 lines of writing:
(53/BS05015)
(9-2-43)
(NR110 cancelled - dilapidated)

Below this writing is an open space headed 'NOTATIONS'

Printed in the bottom left-hand side of the form beyond the margin is '1364 W870. 50m. 12/42 R,D,CO. 392 (Gp.39)

Rubber Stamped in the bottom right-hand corner (in faded red ink) is '1939-43 Star Ribbon Issued'

On the back of the form are 6 vertical columns and they are headed from left to right:
'Name and O.N. of Ship'
'Date and Place of Engagement'
'Rank or Rating'
'F. or H.'
'Date and Place of Discharge'
'Character (V.G. unless otherwise stated)

There is nothing written directly in any of these columns, however there is 5 lines of writing across all of the columns.

1st: (in black fountain pen) 'Not EWO'
2nd: (in black fountain pen) '? with EWO section 15/9/45
3rd: (in black fountain pen) 'Employed by Mersey Docks and Harbour Board' 
4th: (in blue fountain pen) 'CRS 65 con.d, not subject to EWO. Now on 'Salvor' (refer to endorsement) CRS 56 iss?'
5th: (in red fountain pen) 'Admitted to Victoria Combat Hospital, ward 3, on 5/2/53. Fibroma of Buttock.

I am not very good at IT technical stuff so I hope the above description is helpful to you.

Thanks again for your time with this.

All the best,

Dave


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hello Dave,
Thanks for making the effort to type it out - on the face of it it tells me not a lot unfortunately. Much of the notation you see is office abbreviations that don't mean a lot today. That said I am quite familiar with those do***ents and most of them are quite badly written and difficult to interpret and it is possible you are transcribing what you think is correct but may in fact be incorrect. I can usually get a better idea by seeing the do***ent.

Anyway a list of his ships from 1941 should be noted in the columns you mention on the CRS 10. There are no names or official numbers there.
There are a couple of things I note though that may help you understand what he was doing. 'Employed by Mersey Docks and Harbour Board' and also Not subject to EWO. now on 'SALVOR'. 
EWO = Essential Works Order - which was an order introduced by Ernest Bevan in 1941. The EWO tied workers to jobs considered essential for the war effort. You can read up on it but it involved conscription, reserved occupations and more. There was also the Essential Works (Merchant Navy) Order that specifically applied to the Merchant Navy and helped to ensure better conditions of service for seamen and that merchant seamen were paid when their ships were lost (up until then a merchant seaman's pay was stopped when his ship was sunk) and their families received nothing until the seaman was able to sign on again....this was a wrong put right by the EW(MN)O. I am beginning to digress a bit but he must have been subject to this EWO if it is mentioned in the CRS 10. I suspect he may have been on a salvage tug when employed by the Mersey Harbour Board.

May I ask how you know which ships he was on from 1929 - 1940?

Regards
Hugh


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