Joseph Edwards was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, on the 18th October 1877, the son of Thomas and Emma Edwards (née Pacey). He was one of three children in the family and his father was a labourer, but later found work as a drayman. The family lived for many years at Fairfield Road, Neepsend, Sheffield.
He first found employment in the clothing trade, becoming a tailor’s errand boy and then a tailor’s assistant, before finally becoming a tailor’s salesman.
On the 22nd February 1903, he married Annie Tilsley at St. Michael and All Angels parish Church, Neepsend, Sheffield, and in 1915 they lived at 40, Strathcona Road, Liscard, Wallasey, Cheshire.
He eventually left the clothing trade and became a professional waiter serving in the Mercantile Marine and had served for some years on the Lusitania. He engaged once more as a third class waiter in the Stewards' Department on board the liner at Liverpool on the 12th April 1915 at a monthly wage of £4-5s.-0d. (£4.25p.). He reported for duty on the morning of the 17th April before the liner left her berth at Liverpool Landing Stage for the last time. It was his 51st crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
He never completed his 52nd, however, for he was killed when the liner was torpedoed and sunk just three weeks later, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her home port! He was aged 37 years, although at the time he
engaged, he gave his age as 36.
His body was never recovered and identified afterwards and as a consequence, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
In August 1915, he was officially discharged from the last voyage of the Lusitania and his widow, Annie, was paid the balance of wages owing to him for the voyage, calculated from the 17th April until the 8th May 1915, 24 hours after the liner had foundered.
The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted a yearly pension to Annie Edwards to compensate her for the loss of her husband. This amounted to £20-17s.-7d. (£20.88p.), which was payable at the rate of £1-14s.-10d. (£1.74p.) per month.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Yorkshire Baptisms, Yorkshire Marriages 1900 – 1908, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UK Campaign Medals Awarded to World War I Merchant Seamen 1914 – 1925, Wallasey News, Wallasey & Wirral Chronicle, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/40500, UniLiv. PR 13/24, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 1st April 2023.