Lance Corporal Joseph Waters

Joseph Waters was born on 14 May 1917 in Chelsea London. In 1939, Joseph was working as a Poultry salesman and on 7 August that year, he married Enid Winifred Taylor. One month later Joseph had signed up with RAMC and was attached to 181st Field Ambulance.

Private Joseph Waters, was 5ft 8ins tall with blue eyes, brown hair and was a Roman Catholic. By June 1940 Joseph was appointed Lance Corporal and was stationed at Chilton Foliat in Berkshire under the command of Lieutenant A A Baker. Their first military action was in Northern France for which they received specialist training at Inveraray in Scotland and along the Dorset coast. On the night of 27 February 1942, they were heading towards Bruneval in France under the code name Operation Biting. The objective was to capture essential components of the new German narrow-beam radar. This was completed by C company of the 2nd Parachute Battalion. Joseph embarked aboard MV Prins Albert and halfway across they were transferred into 6 ALC’s (Assault Landing Craft) and 3 MGB’s (Motor Gun Boats). Joseph's job, as a medic, was to help evacuate the Paratroopers and the radar components. The Bruneval raid had been a success but had resulted in 2 dead and 6 wounded men. Joseph who was in ALC4 attended to 3 of the wounded before being transferred to a MGB working alongside the naval surgeon. Joseph was mentioned in reports from 181st personnel on Operation Biting.

By the 5 March 1943, the 181st became know as the 181st Airlanding Field Ambulance and Joseph was given some much-needed embarkation leave. On his return, he was issued with tropical clothing and trained in both tropical hygiene and medicines. At Liverpool, on 16 May he joined the ship Stirling Castle and arrived in Oran in North Africa 10 days later. Their camp was at a village called Fleurus where the temperature was 110 Fahrenheit. After a fourteen-mile match to Kristel and back the brigade moved to Froha where they joined the 1st Parachute Brigade who were in preparations for operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. Joseph did not go with the 181st A/L F/A to Sicily, but remained behind. On the 23 July 1943, Joseph was admitted to the 18th Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) and was posted on the X list (unwell or injured) for 5 days. On 8 September 1943 Joseph, along with 181st travelled from North Africa to Italy and we're stationed at the Naval Barracks at Taranto where they soon received many battle casualties and completed hundreds of field operations. Joseph embarked for England on Christmas eve 1943 and arrived home on 5 January 1944 and 6 months later he was awarded the 1939-1943 Star. The 181st A/L F/A received a shortened parachute course at Hardwick Hall where they had two balloon and two aircraft jumps. 

Operation Market Garden - On Monday, 18 September, part of the 181st Field Ambulance Air Landing arrived in Arnhem on the first lift. Joseph Waters arrived on the second lift by Horsa glider. The unit moved into the Mental Hospital on the outskirts of Wolfheze before moving on to the Schoonoord Hotel with its 25 acres of grounds. Sometime on or after the 20 of September, which saw the German attack on Wolfheze, Joseph was captured when he remained behind to care for the wounded. He was officially reported missing believed Prisoner of War on the 25th September. Joseph was taken south to Stalag XIIa at Limburg. Here he sent a card back to his wife Enid dated 28th October 1944. Joseph was then moved to Stalag 344 at Lamsdorf in Poland and was issued with his POW No. 93705 where he remained until his release finally arriving back to the UK on 9th May 1945. 

From Newspaper cuttings about Joseph Waters

West London Press

Friday 25 May 1945.

ARNHEM HERO DODGED ‘DEATH MARCH’.

Veteran of the airborne assault on Bruneval, Sicily, Italy, and lastly, the epic glory of Arnhem, 28-year-old L/Cpl. Joe Waters of Radnor Walk, Chelsea, arrived home last week from a prisoner of war camp in Germany. Waters went into the RAMC five years ago, and in November 1941, volunteered for the Airborne Division. After the raid on the radiolocation station at Bruneval, he went out to take part in the assault on Sicily and Italy. After his return from that battle zone he was stationed in England until October of last year, when he went over in the first waves of attacking aircraft in that never-to-be-forgotten assault on Arnhem. He dropped on Sunday at about midday, and says “we had it fairly easy until the Monday night, getting the wounded into a captured hotel. Then on Tuesday things began to get a bit ‘hot’ and we knew there was a war on, ” he went on.

Held Out for Nine Days

Hanging on to their position fighting bitterly, they held out for nine days, and we're finally captured on the 25th. They were then sent to Limburg, in Western Germany, and from there to Stalag 344 in Silesia. In January this year began the terrible death match to the west, but Waters feigned sickness and avoided the march, being sent by rail to Hammelberg. On January 27 American tank spearheads were advancing on Hammelberg and the camp was evacuated. In a forced march Waters and his comrades covered 250 miles to Mainburg, south-east of Nuremberg. There they were liberated by US Forces on 28 April and flown to Rheims. They were in the town at the time of the historic signing of Germany’s unconditional surrender. Flown to England, Waters telephoned his wife from a reception camp in Surrey, and arrived home for the happy reunion with his family. He was married six years ago, and has two children, Brian is four-and-a-half year's old and his little sister, Carole, who is right months old, was born while Waters was in Germany and he knew nothing of the arrival of the addition to the family until he got home.

West London Press

Friday 18 May 1945

VICTORY PARTIES - Arnhem POW Was Guest of Honour

Radnor Walk - A veritable banquet of good things was laid out on tables brightly covered with red, white and blue victory tablecloths at the V-Party held on Tuesday in Radnor Walk, Chelsea, attended by over 40 kiddies from the neighbourhood. Guest of honour was L/Cpl. Joe Waters, recently returned POW, who was captured at Arnhem, and in the middle of the street, with its fluttering flags and bunting, was a giant poster greeting him with “Welcome Home Joe.”

POW Led Sing-Song

Ex-POW Joe Waters sat at the piano, which had been hauled out of one of the houses, and played selections of popular tunes, with now and again old favourites such as “Roll out the Barrel” and Pick up Your Troubles.” The 40 kiddies, who has all been give a gift of a sixpence, took up the refrains and soon the air in Radnor Walk echoed to the sound of children’s clear young voices raised in joyous carefree song.

And so ended Joseph’s army career of 6 years 3 months and 18 days. He took on a few jobs including Grocers Branch Manager, Postman and a Mini Cab Driver. On 3 March 1986 Joseph was admitted to St. Stephen’s Hospital in Chelsea where he died aged 69.