The Merchant Navy Medal

to reward meritorious service and acts of courage afloat by British registered merchant seafarers

Patron: Admiral The Lord West of Spithead, GCB, DSC.

Chairman: Captain Matthew Easton.
Liverpool Pilotage Services Ltd, 4 Woodside Business Park
Birkenhead, Wirral. CH41 1EL.
email: stpaulstrust

Introduction

The British Merchant Navy has always been a major player in the British economy. Its network of world-wide shipping routes grew rapidly in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and helped to create an empire that had at least one major presence in every continent.

The enormous contribution made by British merchant ships and seafarers in the First and Second World Wars has at last been fully recognised, but it is still too often forgotten that even in this rapidly changing 21st century, 25% of British production is for export and nearly 95% of this trade is still carried by ship. The UK transports nearly all of its oil, gas products and timber and almost half its food by sea.

The British Merchant Service Today

The British Merchant Service today may only be a fraction of the size it was in its heyday, but even if many British shipowners now have their headquarters overseas and register their fleets under foreign flags, they still account for a major portion of the world's tonnage. British merchant seafarers employed by them continue to sail the seven seas.

Because of our long maritime tradition and accumulated expertise, British maritime training and qualifications are still highly regarded across the world. Even if most ships are now foreign-crewed, officer cadets trained in British colleges are much sought after. There is also a continuing demand for skilled British ratings by companies and agencies involved in specialist work around our coasts. As their family responsibilities increase, many British seafarers eventually come ashore later in their careers to work in a wide range of maritime-related professions and functions. It is worth noting that in fields like port operations, marine insurance and law, ship design and surveying, we still remain a world leader.

The Purpose of the Merchant Navy Medal Because British registered seafarers are employed by companies rather than the State, they have never had a decoration of their own to reward meritorious service or acts of courage afloat, as have the Royal Navy and those other maritime agencies operating directly under the auspices of the Crown. Yet the British Merchant Marine continues to be, as it always has been, a uniformed service, called upon frequently to play its part in war as well as in peace. Seafarers themselves know only too well that they may be "in peril on the sea" on a daily basis, but it is now becoming obvious to a much wider public that continuing climatic change is making the world's oceans far more dangerous than they were in the past. The medal was inaugurated during the Trafalgar Bicentennial year of 2005. Nelson's head appears upon it as a reminder that the time he spent on a West Indies merchantman at the tender age of thirteen played a formative part in the development of his outstanding seamanship skills. Nor should it be forgotten that the ships of Nelson's fleet at Trafalgar had many merchant seamen in their crews, although most would've been press-ganged into service! The Merchant Navy Medal has been founded as a charitable initiative with the support of the Chamber of Shipping, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the RMT, other trade unions and senior British seafarers in order to supply a proper system of public recognition for meritorious service and acts of courage by British registered seafarers of all ranks within the industry.

The medal has been designed by Sir Robert Balchin, Registrar of Knights of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor and an expert on the subject of decorations. It features a profile head of Admiral Nelson on the obverse with the inscription The Merchant Navy Medal at the top and 1805 Trafalgar 2005 at the bottom.

On the reverse is the Merchant Navy logo, with the inscription for meritorious service. The ribbon is half green and half red, watered and with a narrow vertical white stripe dividing the two, the three colours echoing the navigation lights of a ship.

Your Response

To be nominated for this award, candidates must have been serving as British registered merchant seafarers on or after the 1st June 2005. They must have served a minimum of twelve years, at least five of which must have been at sea. In the case of nominations for brave conduct at sea, these limits will not apply.

Please contact mnmedal@stpaulstrust.org for details of the medal regulations. Consult them carefully before making your nomination, so that you provide all the necessary information for your submission to be properly considered by the trustees. Nominations must be made in in writing and are welcome at any time of year, but the closing date is August 31st.

Nominations will be formally considered during the month of September, so that the list of recipients can be released immediately before Trafalgar Day, October 21st. It is intended that up to 25 awards should be made annually, with up to 5 more medals being awarded honoris causa to recognise outstanding contributions to the Mercantile Marine by those who are not British registered seafarers. Medals will be presented at a formal investiture held early in December at a prestigious venue in Central London.

It is estimated that producing the medal, administering the Fund and securing adequate publicity for medal recipients will cost around £2500 per year. Any contributions towards the running costs will therefore be doubly appreciated.

Please make cheques payable to St. Paul's Trust Centre No. 2 (Merchant Navy Medal Fund) A/C and remember that standard and higher rate income tax payers and companies paying corporation tax can add a third to the value of their donations by signing a simple form.

Please click the links below for information on past recipients of the medal: