More about Patrick Ward

Patrick Ward was the son of Mr Miles and Mrs Mary Ward and was born in Dundee. He was the husband of Mrs Elizabeth Ward (nee Reid) of 61 Hawkhill, Dundee. For part of 1914 and for all of 1915 he was a Fireman onboard the Dundee registered steam cargo vessel Arbroath . In 1917 he was serving in the SS Corsican Prince when she was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-34 off Whitby whilst on passage from Dundee to Dunkirk with a cargo of timber. Patrick Ward was the only fatality of the sinking and his name is on the Tower Hill Memorial in London. The cargo ship St Ninian went alongside the Corsican Prince to take off survivors, but was herself torpedoed by UB-34 and sank with the loss of fourteen men.

The CORSICAN PRINCE left Dundee on the 6th February bound for Dunkirk with a cargo of timber. The following day she had progressed as far as Whitby. The wind was light and westerly and the sea state smooth with visibility at about a mile. The vessel was making nine and a half knots on a heading of SE ½ S inside the war channel. At 10 a.m. she was between the W and H buoys when, without warning, a torpedo fired from German Submarine UB-34, struck the No3 hold on the starboard side. It shattered the side of the ship and burst the engine room bulkhead, causing the ship to sink rapidly. The whistle was used to sound an S.O.S. and the crew of 31 took to the boats. One of the firemen drowned in the evacuation. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?11538

Patrick Ward   Seaman   S.S. Corsican Prince

WARD—Drowned at sea, on 7th February, Patrick Ward, stoker, beloved husband of Elizabeth Reid, 61 Hawkhill.

Inserted by his wife and family.

Dundee People’s Journal 17th February 1917