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Posted

Hi. I am looking for awards to personnel who were involved in the sinking of HMT TRANSYLVANIA. I have been told that a member of the ships crew named as Andrew G M`Lay was awarded a RHS medal in bronze for saving the life of a Engineer officer reported in the Dailey Record 8 January 1918 plus he was also awarded a Italian society for prevention of cruelty to animals silver medal for saving the life of a cat from the ship. Can anyone help to find any information on Andrew M`Lay and also help proving that he did receive both these medals. Many Thanks     

Posted (edited)

Cheers David. I think that's him. It was just I bit of information given to me and I thought it was spelt M`Lay but it does look like its McLay. I need to link him to the Transylvania and the awards. I have him on the tower memorial died 28.12.1942 SS Empire Shackleton. My father was onboard another Empire Ship The SS Empire song when it hit a mine and sunk. 

Edited by Sgt Stripes
Posted

The Daily Record definitely refers to him as M'Lay.  The edition of January 8, 1918 covers the life-saving medal award but I haven't found any coverage of the animal award as yet.  He hailed from Maryhill in Glasgow and a full account of the sinking and his efforts appears in the Daily Record for 25 May 1917 which also reveals that the cat was called Gaby.

Posted

M' was an early convention for writing Mc or Mac, but I didn't know it had survived so late. Interesting.

Posted
3 minutes ago, seaJane said:

M' was an early convention for writing Mc or Mac, but I didn't know it had survived so late. Interesting.

Could be the Daily Record being  a very Scottish newspaper.  The Hampshire Telegraph account of the sinking calls him McLay.

Posted

Sounds likely.

Posted

Thanks for taking the time and effort looking into this. Is there any chance that a print out of one of the articles could be added.     

Posted
4 minutes ago, Sgt Stripes said:

Thanks for taking the time and effort looking into this. Is there any chance that a print out of one of the articles could be added.     

PM'd you

Posted

Cheers . What a story. Puss used up all his nine lives that day.  

  • 3 years later...

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