Mercantile Marine

[dom]

Hi

I have a pair of WW1 medals, bronze Mercantile Marine and silver BWM.

The silver war medal is named to A Meres.2.Fisnmn.Fishery Reserve. What is the Fishery Reserve what part did thet play in WW1?.

I would be most grateful for any information or where I might get information on this subject.

regards

Stan

[joseph]

Stan,

Ill try and answer this as best as I can as references for the RNR(T) and Fishing Reserve are but few.

At the beginning of WW1 the RNR(Trawler Section) was mobilized and many of the country’s Trawlers, Drifters and Smacks where requisitioned for Minesweeping, Auxiliary Patrol and Anti Submarine duties.

From the Humber around 800 Trawlers where requisitioned leaving about a quarter of the fleet to continue its fishing duties. The North Sea Fisheries had been placed out of bounds and fishing in fleets suspended allowing single boat fishing only. Consequently the supply of fish dropped nationally, the owners of the fishing fleets where wanting more and more compensation which was paid in line with the price of fish which had dramatically increased.

The Mercantile Marine Reserve formed the Fishing Reserve so fishing could continue and the fishermen where then put on a war footing, and in protected employment. Hull used deep sea trawlers and fished in the Barents Sea and the Icelandic fishing grounds. Which made for a very wealthy group of people the risks high though, as over 200 British Trawlers where lost.

Regards Charles

[dom]

Stan,

Ill try and answer this as best as I can as references for the RNR(T) and Fishing Reserve are but few.

At the beginning of WW1 the RNR(Trawler Section) was mobilized and many of the country’s Trawlers, Drifters and Smacks where requisitioned for Minesweeping, Auxiliary Patrol and Anti Submarine duties.

From the Humber around 800 Trawlers where requisitioned leaving about a quarter of the fleet to continue its fishing duties. The North Sea Fisheries had been placed out of bounds and fishing in fleets suspended allowing single boat fishing only. Consequently the supply of fish dropped nationally, the owners of the fishing fleets where wanting more and more compensation which was paid in line with the price of fish which had dramatically increased.

The Mercantile Marine Reserve formed the Fishing Reserve so fishing could continue and the fishermen where then put on a war footing, and in protected employment. Hull used deep sea trawlers and fished in the Barents Sea and the Icelandic fishing grounds. Which made for a very wealthy group of people the risks high though, as over 200 British Trawlers where lost.

Regards Charles

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[dom]

Stan,

Ill try and answer this as best as I can as references for the RNR(T) and Fishing Reserve are but few.

At the beginning of WW1 the RNR(Trawler Section) was mobilized and many of the country’s Trawlers, Drifters and Smacks where requisitioned for Minesweeping, Auxiliary Patrol and Anti Submarine duties.

From the Humber around 800 Trawlers where requisitioned leaving about a quarter of the fleet to continue its fishing duties. The North Sea Fisheries had been placed out of bounds and fishing in fleets suspended allowing single boat fishing only. Consequently the supply of fish dropped nationally, the owners of the fishing fleets where wanting more and more compensation which was paid in line with the price of fish which had dramatically increased.

The Mercantile Marine Reserve formed the Fishing Reserve so fishing could continue and the fishermen where then put on a war footing, and in protected employment. Hull used deep sea trawlers and fished in the Barents Sea and the Icelandic fishing grounds. Which made for a very wealthy group of people the risks high though, as over 200 British Trawlers where lost.

Regards Charles

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[dom]

Hi

Sorry I pressed the wrong buttons so 2 extra replies,

Thanks for explanation it really enlightened me,it goes to show that there are still aspects of the war not well documented or lie in some obscure archive unread.Thanks again.

regards

stan

[Michael Lowrey]

Dom,

To add to what Charles wrote, the fishing vessels sunk were mainly lost to U-boats. During periods of unrestricted (or less restricted) submarine warfare, U-boats would sink British fishing vessels as they came across them. Loss of life was rare in these cases — a trawler was not worth a torpedo, and the sub would surface, stop the vessel (a shot across the bow was often involved), let the crew get off, take anything of interest, and sink the vessel by gunfire or with scuttling charges. If the trawler tried to run, it would be shelled by the U-boat, and this is how fishermen were killed.

Most of the other fishing vessel war losses (excluding those in naval service) were to mine.

Best wishes,

Michael