Being an ex Vindicatrix-boy (May 1944-July 1944) and a member of the British Merchant Navy until October 1950, I have for several years now been a member of the Canadian Merchant Navy Veterans Association. Recently, after many years of negotiation with the CMNVA, the Government has admitted that at the conclusion of World War Two in 1945, all Merchant Seamen were considered to have been noncombatants and therefore not worthy of any compensation or consideration in their return to civilian life, such as was being awarded to armed forces personnel. It has been suggested by the Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs, Vice Admiral Murray, that the sum of $65 Million be used to negotiate a settlement between the estimated 7,000 surviving veterans and their spouses, in lieu of Rehabilitation benefits to Merchant Seamen who served at sea during World War Two. Should any person be interested in reading a copy of the letter mailed to me recently by CMNVA, I would be happy to make a copy available.

My question is.....Has any similar request ever been addressed to the British Government to compensate British Merchant Seamen from the same time period? For anybody who is at all interested I submit the facts listed below.

BRITISH SHIP LOSSES. 1939-1945.
2524 British Merchant vessels were sunk by enemy action in World War Two.
29 foundered by other causes.
912 were damaged by enemy action.
1359 were sunk by U-boats.
118 were sunk by enemy raiders.
291 were sunk by mines.
477 were sunk by enemy aircraft.
76 were sunk by E-boats.
89 were sunk by other enemy action.

30,248 British Merchant Seamen were killed.
4,654 were considered missing.
4,707 were wounded.
5,720 became Prisoners Of War.
A Total Of 45,320 Merchant Seamen.

The British Merchant Navy was continuously engaged in the war from the afternoon of 3rd of September 1939 when the RMS Athenia was torpedoed by Fritz Julius Lemp, Captain of U-30, until the last British vessel S/S Avondale Park was torpedoed at approximately 10:30 pm on the 7th May 1945, off the Firth of Forth, by Emil Klusmeier, Captain of U-2336, just hours before the ceasefire.

There cannot be very many wartime Merchant Navy veterans living today. At my time of entering the T.S.Vindicatrix I was 16 years of age. However, after nearly 55 years it would be good to know that all of the discomfort and often loneliness was, and still is, appreciated by the many who took it all for granted at the time.

Greetings to you all, whereever you may be.

Dennis Malvern Crosby. Canada.
e-mail: dgcrosby3@shaw.ca