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The Merchant Navy Training Establishment, HMS Gordon, Gravesend, Kent, June 1941 (IWM Neg: A 4463)

To trace a member of the Merchant Navy you need to know which ship or shipping line he served with.  The title Merchant Navy was given in 1922 as a reward for their services during the First World War, and previously it was referred to as the Mercantile Marine, the Merchant Service or the Merchant Marine. 

Although the Merchant Navy is a civilian service, during ‘hostilities’ some seamen served in the Royal Naval Reserve.  Take a look at Royal Naval Reserve Service Records for more information about this.

Most First and Second World War records have been passed to The National Archives – you can find more information in Official Records.

If you are tracing a relative who died, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's 'Debt of Honour Register' should be your starting point.  Most seamen will have lost their lives when their vessel sunk, and there will be no known grave.  Many are remembered on the Merchant Marine Memorial at Tower Hill in London. The Memorial Register may be consulted at:

Trinity House Corporation
Trinity Square (Cooper's Row entrance)
Tower Hill
London EC3 N4DH
Tel: 020 7481 6900.  

It should be relatively easy to find out what happened to the vessel on the date of your relative’s death.  The sea has always been a dangerous place whether the country is at peace or war, and accidents and illness probably happened more frequently than in civilian life.