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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Help Interpreting Transferred to


Wolverine7

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Hi,

 

What I’m reading this as is “Transferred to Trawler Section R.N.R. from 1st Oct.1916 R 60680 – N.R. 2063 / 1916” – although I’m not 100% convinced about the “ R 60680” bit.

 

First bit is fairly straight forward – the person concerned was transferred from whatever branch of the armed forces they were currently in to the Trawler Section of the Royal Naval Reserve effective 1st October 1916. It looks to be a compulsory transfer. As a stamp has been made up I suspect they were one of a sizable batch being transferred.

 

The Royal Naval Reserve Trawler Section was created in 1908 to recruit from sea-going men on a reservist basis. Similar to the land based Territorials they received a bounty and a certain number of days training a year. The trawler men and the fishing boats leased for war time use would be used as minesweepers, boom guards and harbour patrol. This took a heavy toll and at times the relationship between the trawlermen and the Royal Navy came close to breaking down. Several destroyer raids on the net minders in the Dover Straits and off Taranto in the Mediterranean saw the trawlers totally overwhelmed – many of them were not armed with anything heavier than the rifles used to shoot at the mines until they exploded. Using nets to sweep the mines to the surface also proved to be a dangerous tactic. I can well imagine that by 1916 trawlermen or men with small boat experience would have been transferred in to an arm of the navy which had a comparatively high casualty rate.

 

The rest I can’t be sure about but they are probably administratve  numbers. I’m not sure about the prefix before the 60680 and more than happy to stand aside when the real experts turn up but N.R. 2063 / 1916 could be Navy Regulation 2063 of 1916.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Peter

 

P.S. and welcome to the forum :-)

Edited by PRC
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Very much appreciate the translation, I believe you are correct. Researching my Grandfathers Service papers. He was a fisherman in Campbeltown and was enrolled on December 28, 1915. Was mostly stationed in Invergorden with the fleet there. I believe he was mostly support and the document shows, shore to Victory- HMS Princetown (B259), HMS Thalia and last HMS Mars. Demobilisation June of 1919. Thanks for the welcome. 

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Hi, Thalia and Mars were both depot ships, so probably he didn't actually served aboard. The Thalia spent the War either at Cromarty or Peterhead serving the mine-sweeping trawlers and drifters of the Auxiliary Patrol. Not sure where the Mars was but probably carrying out the same role.

 

Cheers,

Peter

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