Joseph Woodward

Memorial: Thornbury & District Museum: 6th Maritime Regiment Memorial

Regiment: 6th Maritime Regiment

Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945

Rank and number: Lance Bombardier

Parents: Joseph Edward and Sarah Woodward

Home address: 380 Market Street, Whitworth, Lancashire

Pre-war occupation: Employee in cotton mill

Date of birth: 1910

Place of birth: Bury, Lancashire

Date of death: 24/01/1943

Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea and commemorated on Chatham Naval Memorial and the Maritime Memorial Thornbury

Age: 32

Further information:

Joseph was born in Bury, Lancashire, the son of a general labourer. He had 2 brothers George and John.

On the day of his death Joseph was serving aboard the former French liner 'Ville de Tamatave' then owned by the Ministry of War Transport Office. The vessel left Cardiff in ballast on January 7th, 1943, for New York. On January 24th, she reported that her rudder had broken during a storm and that she was sinking. The Master, a crew of 71 including Joseph and 3 other gunners from the 6th Maritime Regiment were lost along with 17 passengers. There were no survivors. Joseph was originally reported as missing which was changed to presumed killed in action 8 months later.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
https://www.wrecksite.eu/casualty-list.aspx?QzveMoC1QrU5jLl4GHyiug==#58898