Merchant Navy Group of 6 S.S. Orcades 3rd Mate sunk by U-172

Description

Merchant Navy WW2 group of 6 medals
attributed to N. W. Bunston, Merchant Navy
: 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, clasp, North Africa 1942-43; Pacific Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, all unnamed as issued, nearly extremely fines with named box of issue and ribbon bar.
Medals with card forwarding box from the ‘Registrar General of Shipping & Seamen, Llantrisant Road, Llandaff, Cardiff’, to ‘Mr N. W. Bunston, 624 Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London, S.E.10’.
Bought from DNW, Lot 156, 8 Feb 2010.
Days before the outbreak of war with Germany (1 September 1939), Mr. Bunston joined the crew of the S.S.
Orcades
as 3
rd
Mate
. The
Orcades
would serve as a troop ship until her sinking by the German u-boat U-172 on 10 Oct 1942.  She was one of the largest merchant vessels sunk by the Germans during the war.
Comes with research material.
Research:
N. W. Bunston, Merchant Navy
Discharge No: 1115267; Certificate No: 0019824 (2
nd
Mate), 30085 (Master)
Norman William Bunston was born 18 March 1905 in Llantrissant, Glamorganshire, S. Wales to Mark and Alice Bunston
[1,2,5,16]
. He married, in 1933, Mary Agnes O’Connor, being registered in Greenwich district
[17,19]
.
Mr. Bunston started his seafaring career as an apprentice with the Prince Line company in 1921
[10]
, serving a 4-year apprenticeship aboard the S.S.
Roman Prince
,
Persian Prince
, and finally the
Syrian Prince
[2, 3, 5, 10]
. Between October 1924 and May 1925, he served on the
Scottish Prince
and
Stuart Prince
before leaving the Prince Line and joining the
London Exchange
of the Neptune Steam Nav. Co. Ltd.
[5,10]
.
In March 1926, he sat for the 2
nd
Mate for steamships examination, at which time he was living in London (46 Sylva Cottages, Brookmill Rd, Deptford, London). The application shows that he failed the navigation test earlier in the month (on March 16
th
) but passed all tests on the 29
th
. His ‘Certificate of Competency as Second Mate of a foreign- going steamship’ (number 0019824) was issued at the port of London Dock Street on 9 April 1926
[5]
.
He received his certification as a Master of Steam Ships (No. 30085) several years later, prior to August 1934, but the exact date is unknown as at the time of this research the Masters and Mates certificate records available on Ancestry.co.uk stop in 1927
[10,12]
.
Between 1926 and 1939 Mr. Bunston served on several vessels, some of which we know, but cannot confirm this to be a comprehensive list. In 1928-29 he was serving aboard the S.S.
Tymeric
(Bank Line) as the 2
nd
Officer, traveling to New Orleans and Honolulu, Hawaii
[4,6,10]
. We catch up with him next on the
La Salina
(Largo Shipping Co.) in 1931 and finally on the
Kelvinbank
(Bank Line) as 1
st
Mate in 1934
[10]
.
World War 2:
Days before the outbreak of war with Germany (1 September 1939), he joined the crew of the S.S.
Orcades
as 3
rd
Mate
[11]
. The
Orcades
would serve as a troop ship until her sinking by the German u-boat U-172 on 10 Oct 1942
[15]
.
Of some interest is that on 4 September 1939 the
Orcades
was part of the first convoy from Glasgow (Clyde) to leave the United Kingdom
[14]
.
For his service during the war he was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, Africa Star with clasp for ‘North Africa 1942-43’, Pacific Star, Italy Star, and the War Medal 1939-45
[1]
, which were delivered to him at ‘62A Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London, S.E.10’ (as seen on the mailing box which accompanies his medals). This address is
confirmed on the London Electoral Registers for 1946
[8]
.
Post War:
After the war, we catch up with Mr. Bunston travelling 1
st
class from Singapore and arriving at London aboard the Canton (P&O Steam Nav. Co.) in October 1949. On the passenger list, he recorded his profession as ‘Master Mariner’ and his country of last permanent residence as ‘Malaya’
[7]
.
In 1952, he served as Chief Officer (1
st
Mate) on the oil tanker, T.E.S.
Tribulus
, operated by Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd.
[9, 13]
.
Normal William Bunston died on 9 September 1954 at The Seamens Hospital, Greenwich, London, his effects valued at
£
4
70 7s. 3d. left to his widow
[18, 19]
.
Please email with any questions or for more photos.