Morward Howard – Merchant Navy, M.V. Nassa

Cook Morward Howard – Merchant Navy, M.V. Nassa

Early Life and Family Background

Martin William Howard and Tabitha Hopkins
marriage certificate
Holy Trinity Church, Swansea

Morward Howard was born in 1920 in Swansea, the son of Martin William Howard and Tabitha Hopkins, who had married in 1904 at Holy Trinity Church, Swansea.

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, the Howard family were living at 2 Alexandra Terrace, Cwmbwrla, Swansea. Morward’s father, Martin William Howard, aged 38 and born in Neath, was recorded as a Tip Man at Pentre Pits, employed by Mr Jones, Manager, although he was out of work at the time. His wife, Tabitha, aged 37, kept the household. Their children were Ivor James, aged 15, who worked as a Helper Underground at Pentre Pits but was also out of work; Sarah Jane, aged 8, and Mary Graham, aged 6, both attending school; Morward, aged 1; and the youngest child, Lillian, aged one month.

Marriage and Early Adulthood

In 1940, Morward married Carmen Senar at Liverpool, marking the beginning of his adult life just as the pressures of wartime service were intensifying. His family remained rooted in Swansea, and his connection to the city continued even as his work took him far from home.

Service in the Merchant Navy

During the Second World War, Morward Howard served with the Merchant Navy, holding the rank of Cook aboard the M.V. Nassa. His role placed him among the essential support crew responsible for the daily running of the vessel and the welfare of those on board. Merchant Navy service during the war was exceptionally dangerous, with ships constantly threatened by U‑boats, mines, and air attack, and even non‑combatant roles carried significant risk.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

Morward Howard
Corozal American Military Cemetery, Panama
credit - findagrave

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths records, Morward Howard, of 32 Trafalgar Terrace, Swansea, lost his life on 11^th February 1942 while serving aboard the M.V. Nassa. Unlike many Merchant Navy casualties who have no known grave, Morward is buried at Corozal American Military Cemetery, Panama, a resting place that reflects the global reach of wartime service and the far‑flung locations in which Merchant Navy men lived, worked, and died.