Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Tower Hill Memorial | London | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.138 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 12B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
He was born the son of W. Clement Williams and Mary Williams, of Halifax, at Holyhead on 4 August 1883. In 1901 the family lived at 8 Upper Park Street, Holyhead. His father Samuel Bennion Williams (46) was a self employed Coal Merchant. At home were his mother, Margaret Ellin Williams (nee Paton) (46) together with Ellen Mary Williams (19), Joseph Williams (17), employed as an Apprentice Fitter, Catherine M Williams (16), Margaret Paton Williams (14), Gwladlys C Williams (10), Ernest Williams (8), Percival Williams (7), Frank Bennion Williams (5) and John Paton Williams (2).In 1911 Joseph was recorded as an Engineer on SS Slieve Bawn, moored at Holyhead Station Harbour.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: SS Anglia |
The merchant navy (Volume 2) - Hurd, Archibald, Sir On November 17th, 1915, the hospital ship Anglia foundered on mines laid off Dover by UC5. This had the effect of stopping for a while all cross-Channel traffic, and the enemy thus assisted his own armies. |
| Action : Naval Campaign |
Naval Campaign is defined as to include all sea operations where attrition rates are in ones and twos and which do not fall within specific naval battles such as Jutland, Coronel, Falklands etc. This includes Merchant Navy losses.
Detail :
Ship's engineer. 2 Killed on HMHS Anglia
The Sinking of the H.M.H.S. Anglia by a mine laid by a German U-Boat in the Dover Straits. The SS Anglia was built by Wm Denny & Brothers of Dumbarton, Scotland. It was built on behalf of the London & North Western Railway, who operated the cross channel Irish services, and she arrived in Holyhead on the 2nd of May 1900. She grossed 1862 tons, and was of steel construction with twin screw propellers. Capable of speeds up to 22 knots, she was an express passenger steamer, initially used on the Holyhead to Dublin North Wall service, then from 1908 on the Holyhead to Kingstown (later named Dun Laoghaire) service.
After the outbreak of WWI, the Anglia was commandeered for war service by the Admiralty, and refitted as an auxiliary hospital ship - known as H.M.H.S. Anglia - and under the command of Captain Lionel J. Manning. On November 17th 1915 the Anglia was returning to Dover from Calais, and was loaded with 390 injured officers and soldiers, and their doctors and nurses. In addition there were 56 crew - predominantly Anglesey men - on board. They could not know that the German submarine UC-5 had been laying mines in the English Channel. At around 12:30 pm, one mile east of Folkestone Gate, H.M.H.S. Anglia struck a mine, and quickly began to sink. The Royal Navy ship H.M.S. Hazard raced to her aid. It took the Anglia just 15 minutes to sink, and during that time many acts of bravery were witnessed. The total loss of life is not truly known, but estimates vary between 120 and 164 personnel - including 25 of her crew - who were either killed by the explosion, or by drowning. The tragedy had occurred only 12 days after her sister ship - H.M.S. Tara (renamed from the S.S. Hibernia) - had been sank off Tripoli by a torpedo from a German U-boat. The people of Anglesey, and in particular the town of Holyhead, were distraught. The submarine that had laid the fateful mines - UC-5 - herself came to grief after she became stranded on a sandbank. Captured by the Royal Navy, she was later put on display at Temple Pier on the Thames, This was an act of propaganda, and she was later transported to the U.S., where the same was done with her there.
He is commemorated on Tower Hill Memorial and also theHolyhead War Memorial. "Joseph P Williams, Third Engineer, Mercantile Marine, HMHS Anglia. Lost at sea due to enemy action, age 32, on 17 November 1915.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lodge of St Cybi No. 597 E.C. | North Wales |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
24th November 1908 | 22nd December 1908 | 19th January 1909 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley