Pensions (Navy, Army, Air Force and Mercantile Marine) Act 1939

4Awards to pilots, and c

(1)The Minister may with the consent of the Treasury make a scheme for—

(a)applying the provisions of any Naval War Pensions Order to persons to whom this section applies in cases where their death or disablement is directly attributable to war injuries sustained by reason of their service, or to detention caused by reason of their service; and

(b)the payment of allowances to or for the benefit of any such persons detained as aforesaid, or to or for the benefit of the dependants of such persons so detained.

(2)This section applies to the following persons, namely—

(a)pilots and apprentice pilots; and

(b)masters and members of the crew of pilot boats, lightships, lighthouse tenders and lightship tenders.

(3)For the purpose of this section, a person to whom this section applies shall be deemed to have sustained a war injury, or to have been detained, by reason of his service, if he sustained the injury, or if the capture in consequence of which the detention occurs is effected—

(a)in the case of a pilot or apprentice pilot—

(i)while he is on board any ship for the purpose of taking her, or assisting to take her, into or out of a port in the British Islands; or

(ii)while he is proceeding by sea, or by land or air outside the British Islands, to a ship for the purpose of taking her, or assisting to take her, into any such port; or

(iii)while he is returning to the British Islands after having taken, or assisted to take, a ship out of any such port; or

(iv)while he is at a place outside the British Islands for the purpose of proceeding or returning as aforesaid; or

(v)while he is on board any pilot boat;

(b)in the case of a master or member of the crew of a pilot boat, lighthouse tender or lightship tender, while he is in the service of the boat or tender;

(c)in the case of a master or member of the crew of a lightship, while he is in the service of the lightship or is proceeding by sea or air to the lightship for the purpose of being in the service thereof or from the lightship after being in the service thereof.

(4)In this section the following expressions have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them :—

  • " Lightship " means a lightship belonging to a local or general lighthouse authority within the meaning of the [57 & 58 Vict. c. 60.] Merchant Shipping Act, 1894;

  • " Lighthouse tender " means a tender to a lighthouse belonging to any such authority;

  • " Lightship tender " means a tender to a lightship;

  • " Pilot boat " has the meaning assigned to it by section thirty-eight of the [2 & 3 Geo. 5. c. 31.] Pilotage Act, 1913.