Re: Hollis Swanson, aboard Bering in Forgotten Convoy
Thank you so much for trying to sign the petition. In the UK there are fewer than 200 survivors of the Convoys. Like your father, my grandfather preferred to put these hard times behind him and the tragedy is that, as a result, their suffering and their contribution to the war effort has been largely forgotten. There seems to be very little published information regarding the 'Forgotten Convoy'. I have not been able to locate any of the 'log books' (apologies if this is not the correct naval term) or ships' records for the merchant vessels, but in the new year, I am going to try to get down to our records offices to see if I can piece anything together from the Royal Navy records (as the RN vessels were not 'trapped' in the same way as the MN vessels, I suspect this still won't give a full picture). Your stories are very interesting and add richness to the picture of their lives. If you don't mind, I will mention these to the members of the merchant-navy.net website who have been helpful in gathering information about my grandfather's ship and who are leading the fight to get some recognition for the Convoy veterans and allow them to receive the Ushakov Medal. I can't remember if I sent you this link previously - it is a summarised version of the Senior British Naval Officer's reports from the Halcyon class vessels (minesweepers and survey ships)stationed in Russia at that time. A mention is made of the Bering. The SBNO describes their existence as being 'like a concentration camp' I'll keep you informed if I manage to find any more information about the 'Forgotten Convoy' http://www.halcyon-class.co.uk/SBNOreports/feb-apr_1943.htm With kind regards, Siobhan
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