Stoker 1st Class K/20400 Joseph Holloway
Killed in Action on Wednesday, 31st May 1916, age 22.
Commemorated on Panel 18 of Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
Royal Navy, H.M.S. "Invincible.".
Son of Eli and Eliza Holloway, of 42, Queen's Rd., Tipton, Staffs.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Unknown, Resident: Unknown.
Pre-war naval man.
Medal entitlement: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Navy Papers transcribed.
Commemorated on the Tipton Library Memorial.
Commemorated here because he appears on a Tipton memorial.
Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/3036678/
Genealogical Data
According to Naval records, Joseph was born on 23rd June 1895.
1891 Census
21 Watery Lane, Tipton, Staffs.
Eli Holloway (23, Ironworker, born Tipton), his wife Eliza (21, born Tipton), and their 2 children: Job (2, born Tipton), and John T. (7 months, born Tipton).
1901 Census
1 Court, 3 House, Boat Row, Tipton, Staffs.
Eli Holloway (34, Puddler, born Tipton), his wife Eliza (31, born Tipton), and their 6 children: Job (12, born Tipton), John T. (10, born Tipton), Eli (8, born Tipton), Joseph (6, born Tipton), George (2, born Tipton), and Edward (11 months, born Tipton).
1911 Census
42 Queens Road, Tipton, Staffs.
Eli Holloway (43, Puddler, born Tipton), his wife Eliza (41, born Tipton), and their 6 of their 7 surviving children of 9: Job (22, Colliery Horse Driver, born Tipton), John T. (20, Iron Moulder, born Tipton), Eli (18, born Tipton), Joseph (16, Iron Moulder, born Tipton), George (12, born Tipton), and Edward (10, born Tipton).
Personal Data
Joseph enlisted with the Royal Navy on 16th September 1913 for a period of 12 years. He was 18 years of age, 5 feet 4 inches tall with a 37½ - inch chest, he had dark brown hair, greyish blue eyes, and a fresh complexion. After initial training, Joseph was posted to HMS Crescent as a Class 2 Stoker from 21st January 1914 to 31st July 1914, and then transferred to HMS Invincible as a Class 1 Stoker.
Action resulting in his death
At 6.21am on May 31st 1916, Rear-Admiral Hood on H.M.S. Invincible led the 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron which opened fire on the German ships 'Lutzow' and 'Derfflinger' at a distance of 9000 yards. 'Derfflinger' was hit three times, while the 'Lutzow' quickly took 10 hits from the British battlecruisers that would ultimately sink her.
At 6.30am 'Invincible' appeared as a clear target before 'Lutzow' and 'Derfflinger'. The two German ships then fired three salvoes each at 'Invincible' and sank her in 90 seconds. At least one 12-inch shell from the third salvo struck and penetrated her midship's 'Q' turret, blowing off the roof and detonated the midship's magazines which blew the ship in half.
Of her crew, 1026 officers and men were killed including Rear-Admiral Hood, only 6 men survived. Joseph Holloway was not one of the 6, and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Newspaper Cuttings
Tipton Herald July 15th 1916
A PATRIOTIC TIPTON FAMILY.
Mr Eli Holloway, of 42 Queens Road, Tipton, who is a puddler at Messrs Gadd and Co., and his wife have had their four sons in the services. One of them, Stoker Joseph Holloway, who was 22 last June, went down in H.M.S. Invincible in the great Jutland naval battle. He joined the Navy in 1913. Two other sons, Eli and John Thomas, have been five and eight years in the Navy respectively. The eldest son, Job Holloway, joined the Worcesters just over a year ago, and is now in a gun section somewhere in France.