Merchant Navy Memorials at Tower Hill

[Benjidog]

I only recently joined this site to help with my research efforts.

For members interested in the Merchant Navy, you may be interested in taking a look at my website dedicated to the memorials at Tower Hill. It includes images the panels for each individual vessel in which seamen were lost 'with no grave but the sea' for WW1, WW2 and the Falklands War, and corresponding lists of the people who lost their lives. There is also coverage of the construction of the memorials and a history of Tower Hill itself.

You can access the site HERE.

Brian

[KizmeRD]

Brian - Nice to see your post, and welcome aboard to the Forum!

You have a wonderful website and it’s a great resource.

My only regrets with regard to the Tower Hill memorial (which is not your fault) is that it only commemorates ships and crew members lost as a direct result of enemy action. So, for example, if a merchant ship sailing in a convoy was sunk as a result of collision in fog then it doesn’t get commemorated - whereas if a U-boat torpedoed another vessel in the same convoy on the same day, then that loss does qualify for a panel.

MB

[Benjidog]

5 hours ago, KizmeRD said:

Brian - Nice to see your post, and welcome aboard to the Forum!

You have a wonderful website and it’s a great resource.

My only regrets with regard to the Tower Hill memorial (which is not your fault) is that it only commemorates ships and crew members lost as a direct result of enemy action. So, for example, if a merchant ship sailing in a convoy was sunk as a result of collision in fog then it doesn’t get commemorated - whereas if a U-boat torpedoed another vessel in the same convoy on the same day, then that loss does qualify for a panel.

MB

Thank you for your kind words.

I completely agree with you on that point.

Also I was recently researching the case of a vessel that was attempting to recover a plane that crashed into Southampton Water as I recall. It had depth charges onboard and they blew up killing several people. The merchant seaman on the recovery vessel were included but it seems that some of those on board were not exactly 'merch' so they didn't get included. I have also reported numerous errors in the records over the years. In most cases the CWGC correct their records.

Brian