MN PoW

Merchant Seamen Prisoners of War Although the Merchant Navy was regarded as a civilian force during World War II, thousands of Merchant Seamen were taken captive and held as prisoners. According to Billy McGee, these seamen were held at 32 Prisoner-of-War camps in Europe, and numerous camps throughout Africa, Italy, Asia, and the Far East, as well as on the Altmark, a prison ship.
MILAG In 1941/42, the Marine Internierten Lager (Milag), a prison camp specifically for Merchant Seamen, was built north of Bremen (Germany) specifically for Merchant Seamen of all nationalities. There were 4,500 to 5,000 seamen held there.
MILAG POW Association
MILAG website - may be difficult to access	POW Logbook of T. C. (Tom) McNamee
Walter L. Skett, R/O POW held at MILAG Tom McNamee's Logbook describes his murder new photo
POWs in West Africa Seamen sunk off the West African coast were taken prisoner by the Vichy French, and sent to camps in Koulikoro and Timbuktu (Timbuctoo).
The Man from Timbuctoo: Experience of Peter de Neumann
SS Allende: Experience of Wilfred Williams	SS Criton and the War Graves at Timbuctoo
Fred Milthorp, steward on a Danish ship in Dakar
Thanks to K. Williams, B. de Neumann, M. Armstrong, B. Milthorp, and E. Heath who provided stories and images for these pages.
Merchant Seamen During World War II The injustice served to the Mercantile or Merchant Navy during the Second World War was appalling. For all members of the Merchant Navy, pay was stopped on the day that their ship sank. The British Office of Registration for Merchant Seamen (the Newport "Pool") reported that, during the Second World War, more local men were killed serving in the Merchant Navy, than in the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force combined. The Merchant Navy was not classified as Fighting Service! Their entitlement to hospitalization (Geneva Convention) was never the same as given to the armed services. Merchant Navy veterans are finally being recognized as war veterans, but this is in name only. Only the Canadian government has paid compensation to their Merchant seamen. There has been no compensation given to the British Merchant Navy or to the American Merchant Marine. In many jurisdictions, the time spent in a lifeboat (after their ship was sunk), on survivors' leave, or in a prison camp is still not regarded as war service.

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This page was updated on May 16, 2008
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