Joseph Turner was born in 1898, the son of John and Margaret Turner. The family home was at 29 Stour Street, Liverpool, Lancashire. When Joseph was still only a very young child, his father died, leaving his mother to raise their five children alone.
Joseph served as a trimmer in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania and he was killed when she was sunk. He was aged 17 years.
His body was never recovered and identified afterwards and as a result, his name is embossed on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
Tragically, Joseph Turner’s first cousin, Trimmer Michael King, was also serving on board the final voyage of the
Lusitania, and also died. Like Joseph, Michael’s remains were never recovered or identified and he is also commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill. Joseph’s mother Margaret and Michael’s mother Catherine were sisters.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of England and Wales, 1911 Census of England and Wales, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Cunard Records, Patricia Allerton, PRO BT 334.