MICs with Unit as ExamServ, Furness, Cartmel or Violet

[charlie962]

I came across some 60 MICs with this "unit". To satisfy my curiosity, please could someone tell me what it is about ?

Thanks

charlie

 

an example:

 

[jay dubaya]

Civilian examiners, there’s quite a few more listed on different ships/shore establishments looking at the medal rolls, looks like their service needed to be verified for them to receive a medal, many have their service noted in years months and days, many ‘address unknown’ so I suspect they never received a medal

 

J

[charlie962]

J, thanks. I did note that a couple of names seemed to be from the Barrow in Furness area and 1911 Census suggesting iron workers/turners. Cartmel is not far off but what was Violet ? 

 

Charlie

[Terry_Reeves]

They manned vessels of the Examination Service whose wartime task was to inspect the cargo of merchant vessels entering a port area and other  smaller craft. They were manned by a civilian crew but often skippered by an RNVR officer. Some carried small arms, normally a machine gun , for their own protection. 

 

The Port War Signal Station would note any merchant vessel entering a  port area  and inform the examination service who would send out one of their craft and order the merchantman to heave-to in an area put aside for this, known as the examination anchorage.  The examination vessel was supported by a 6 inch RGA shore battery. In the event of the vessel refusing to stop when ordered, a gun from  battery would fire a shot across the bows of the offending vessel, in practice a few hundred yards in front of it. If the vessel failed to heave-to then, the battery commander could order a round to be fired at the vessel itself.

 

TR

Edited 8 September , 2019 by Terry_Reeves

[Keith_history_buff]

From memory, I think there are about a thousand MICs that relate to persons involved in Port Examination Services. 

If I remember rightly, I think there was the possibility that gunners of the Artillery performing service at home were not eligible for medals under War Office rules, but if they performed the above duties, they could get the BWM under Board of Trade rules.
 

 

[charlie962]

Terry, thanks for that interesting detail. Would the crew have been part-timers, working say in shipbuilding ?

 

Keith, Thanks for that link, which I had searched for but not found!

 

Charlie

[Terry_Reeves]

Charlie

 

As far as I am aware they were full time seamen. If you have ancestry , these are the medal rolls:

 

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/iwoservicemedalawardrolls/?f-F00061C3=examination

 

This might also be of interest:

 

https://blog.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/2017/12/remembering-the-loss-of-the-alfred-h-read-pilot-boat-1917/

 

TR

Edited 8 September , 2019 by Terry_Reeves

[charlie962]

Thank you again;

 

'Satisfying my curiosity' is always worthwhile and instructive.

 

Charlie

16 minutes ago, Terry_Reeves said:

If you have ancestry ,

I don't but I suspect these are the Rolls referred to on the MICs.

[charlie962]

Would Furness be HMS Stephen Furness ?  -see this old thread