This section of the Roll of Honour commemorates 42 Nottinghamshire people killed during World War Two serving with the Merchant Navy aboard freighters and, in some cases, liners evacuating civilans. It also honours 52 local men killed aboard these vessels in the Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships system (DEMS).

Merchant seamen crewed ships of the British Merchant Navy which kept the United Kingdom supplied with raw materials, arms, ammunition, fuel, food and all of the necessities of a nation at war throughout World War II. They enabled the country not just to defend itself but to suvive at all. In doing this, they sustained a considerably greater casualty rate than almost every other branch of the armed services and suffered great hardship. Seamen were aged from fourteen through to their late seventies.

DEMS gunners in World War II served in the Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship programme. Established by the British Admiralty in June 1939, the organization placed anti-submarine and anti-aircraft guns onto cargo ships, assigning military gunners to protect vital wartime supply convoys against enemy U-boats and warplanes.

DEMS gunners were Royal Navy ratings, Royal Marines, and soldiers from the Royal Artillery Maritime Regiment. In addition, over 150,000 merchant seamen were also trained to help load and fire weapons.

Trained at specialized bases like HMS Glendower in Wales and HMS Wellesley in Liverpool,(1). DEMS gunners signed on as members of the merchant ship's crew so they avoided internment when visiting neutral ports. Gunners were assigned their own quarters on board and were subject only to orders from ships' captains.

They operated low angle stern weapons, typically 3-inch to 6-inch deck guns used against surfaced U-boats. They also fired various anti-aircraft guns such as quick-firing 12-pounders, Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, and Bofors 40 mm guns. Lewis and machine guns were installed for close range defence.

By late 1943, roughly 40,000 gunners operated on ships out of scores of global bases. Around 4,000 DEMS gunners were killed - 2,713 from the Royal Navy including 85 Royal Marines, between 1,200 and 1,300 from the Royal Artillery and about 50 from other units.

(1) DEMS gunners were also trained at HMS Carrick,Greenock. HMS Excellent,Gosport, HMS Eagle, Liverpool, HMS Caroline, Belfast, HMS Claverhouse, Leith.HMS Chrysanthemum II & HMS President, London, HMS Flying Fox, Bristol, HMS Queen Charlotte: An anti-aircraft gunnery range at Ainsdale-on-Sea, Southport.

(N) Denotes Royal Navy DEMS gunners

(RA) Denotes Royal Artillery Maritime Regiment DEMS gunners

(RM) Denotes Royal Marines DEMS Gunner