Joseph William Hughes
Shipwright 1st Class Joseph William Hughes – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Hawke
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| Joseph William Hughes |
Early Life
Joseph William Hughes was born in 1862 in Rhyl,
Flintshire, the son of John Hughes and Marianne Hughes. His
mother died in 1868, when Joseph was still a young child, leaving his
father to raise the family alone.
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| 1871 Census |
According to the 1871 Census, the widowed John Hughes, aged 48, was living at 18 Water Street, Rhuddlan, Rhyl, where he worked as a Joiner and Builder. Residing with him were his children — Elizabeth M., aged 18, who managed the household; Sarah A., 15; Frances J., 11; John W., 9; Joseph W., 8; Margaret E., 7; and Miriam G., 5 — all of whom were attending school. Also living with the family was Margaret Hughes, a 50-year-old lodging housekeeper, and her daughter Sarah D., aged 11, who was also at school.
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| 1881 Census |
By the time of the 1881 Census, Joseph, then aged 18, had left home and was working as a Joiner. He was recorded as a boarder at 5 Manchester Row, Caernarvonshire, continuing the family trade in carpentry and woodwork.
Military Service
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| Joseph William Hughes Service Records |
Joseph enlisted in the Royal Navy in April 1885,
beginning his service on H.M.S. Pembroke.
At that time, H.M.S. Pembroke referred not to a
single ship but to the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham, Kent, which
served as both a training establishment and a depot ship for men
awaiting assignment to sea-going vessels. Commissioned in 1878, the base
was one of three major training centres for the Royal Navy, alongside H.M.S.
Victory at Portsmouth and H.M.S. Vivid at Devonport. The name Pembroke
had also been carried by several depot ships moored in Chatham before the
purpose-built barracks complex officially opened in 1903.
For a newly enlisted shipwright like Joseph, service aboard Pembroke
would have involved training in naval carpentry, metalwork, and hull repair —
essential skills for maintaining the wooden and iron warships of the era. His
duties likely included refitting and maintaining vessels at the Chatham
Dockyard before being posted to active service afloat.
Joseph’s naval service records, which survive, show a steady
and capable career as a Shipwright, a skilled craftsman responsible for
the construction and repair of warships.
In 1889, he married Emma Edworthy at Sheppey,
Kent. The couple later settled in Oystermouth, Mumbles, where Joseph
continued his naval career.
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| 1901 Census |
The 1901 Census records the family living at 7 Coastguard Terrace, Oystermouth, with Joseph, aged 38, serving as a Shipwright in the Royal Navy; his wife Emma, aged 34; and their daughters Emma V., 10, and Vera M., 6.
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| 1911 Census |
According to the 1911 Census, the Hughes family were living at Milton, Woodville Road, Mumbles. Joseph, aged 48, was employed as a Joiner, while his wife Emma, aged 44, managed the household. Their two daughters were also recorded at home: Emma Merriam, aged 20, who worked as a Certificated Teacher, and Vera May, aged 16, who was employed as a Dressmaker. The record reflects a settled and industrious family life in Mumbles, with both daughters beginning their own professional careers.
At the outbreak of the First World War, Joseph was a Royal
Navy pensioner, but his strong sense of duty led him to re-enlist,
once again serving as a Shipwright.
Death
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| British Army and Navy - Birth, Marriage and Death Records |
Tragically, Shipwright 1st Class Joseph William Hughes
lost his life on 14th October 1914 while serving aboard H.M.S.
Hawke.
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| H.M.S. Hawke |
On 14th October 1914, H.M.S. Hawke
and her sister ship H.M.S. Theseus were in the northern North Sea, about
60 miles off Aberdeen, when they were ambushed by the German submarine U-9,
commanded by Otto Weddigen. The same submarine had sunk three British
cruisers — Hogue, Aboukir, and Cressy — only weeks
earlier.
While Theseus narrowly avoided the attack, Hawke
was struck by a single torpedo amidships, near the magazine. The explosion
caused catastrophic damage, and the ship sank within ten minutes. Out of
a crew of nearly 600 men, only about 70 survived. The rapid
sinking left little time to launch lifeboats, and the survivors were rescued
hours later by a Norwegian steamer.
Among those lost was Shipwright 1st Class
Joseph William Hughes, aged 52, one of the oldest men from
Mumbles to die in action during the war.
Burial
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| Joseph William Hughes Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent credit - findagrave |
As with many sailors lost at sea, Joseph Hughes has no
known grave. His name is recorded and honoured on the Chatham Naval
Memorial in Kent, which commemorates Royal Navy personnel who died
at sea with no known resting place.
Legacy
Shipwright 1st Class Joseph William Hughes
is remembered both on the Chatham Naval Memorial and on the memorial
plaque of the former Methodist Church, Mumbles.
A dedicated craftsman, husband, and father, Joseph’s life
embodies a rare devotion to service. Even after retiring from the Royal Navy,
he answered his country’s call once more. His courage and commitment stand as a
lasting testament to the spirit of the Mumbles community and to all those who
served — and fell — during the Great War.
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