Willa (Vance) Lowry Page 3

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Facts about Joseph Williams Vance Jr.
Donated by Willa Vance Lowry. Joseph Vance's, sister.

I have tried to put these pages into chronological order.
These pictures have not been seen since July 16, 1943.
Most pictures were taken by 'Litterst Com'l Photo Co., Quality Service, Houston, Texas July 16, 1943.
Anyone knowing anything of this company please notify Webmaster

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ST. JOHN'S METHODIST CHURCH
PEABODY AVENUE AT BELLEVUE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
MINISTERS -- ALBEA GODBOLD, HOWARD W. RASH
L. M. STRATTON, Chairman Official Board
L.L. HIDINGER, Chairman Finance Committee
JOHN W. GIBSON, Secratary
O. K. EARP, Treasurer
MRS. VERNA R. WATTS, Financial Secretary

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR LT. JOE W. VANCE, JR.
St. John's Church, September 20,1942

Statement by the pastor, Dr. Albea Godbold
Hymn No. 496 "God of our fathers"
Obituary by the pastor
Hymn No. 514 "Lead kindly light"
Prayer by the associate pastor, Rev. Howard W. Rash
Taps (on the organ).

Memorial Prayer
Our Father God, we lift our eyes to see Thy face. Thou dost share all our joys and our sorrows. When there is a song upon our lips, Thou art glad. When our hearts are heavy with sorrow, Thou art grieved. Thou art the light of all that is true, the strength of all that is good, the glory of all that is beautiful. We lift our eyes to Thee and see again in Thee wisdom and power and love sufficient for all our needs. Help us to walk in the light, to share the wisdom, to rest upon the love, that we may be able to play our part in the life of our times. Help us all to think truly, to act kindly, to love wisely, that we may leave the world a better place for our having lived in it.

We thank Thee for the noble life of Joe Vance, to whose memory we pay tribute this day; for his stalwart convictions, his loyal devotion to duty both to God and country, his faithfulness in service, and the bravery with which he laid down his life for others. Grant that he may not have died in vain, but that the noble purposes for which he fought, may come to fruition in a better world of peace in the days to come.

Grant unto these loved ones,who feel that in his death, something precious has gone out of life for them, the knowledge that those who believe in Jesus Christ never die. Make strong their faith in immortality gained for us through Christ our Lord. May they feel the strong arm of the holy Comforter bearing them up in the midst of their sorrow and pointing them to that brighter morn when all sorrow shall have passed away and we shall be with the Lord.

Teach us all to trust in Thee entirely, to rely upon Thy purposes to seek Thy love. Put into our hearts the unshakable confidence, that though the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, Thy love and help will never depart from us. Open our hearts that we may ever hear a Thy still small voice speaking calm to our troubled souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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First National Bank of Memphis (Joe's Employer)
House Organ
"Bank Notes"

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."
--Abraham Lincoln

He wavered not at Duty's call,
Nor pondered what to give,
But proudly sacrificed his all
That you and I might live.

IN MEMORY OF A LOYAL FRIEND AND A GALLANT OFFICER

The war may still seem remote in the minds of many Memphians, but to the men and women of the First National it has been brought tragically close. News, of the death of our own Joe Vance, who lost his life in the thick of the early Solomon Islands fighting, stunned us to a terrible realization of how closely events on the far side of the earth tie in with our own lives. It awakened us, also, to the fact that this is OUR war, and that each of us must do everything within our power to bring it to the earliest possible conclusion. With the inspiring example of Joe's great sacrifice ever before us, we can not fail, we will not falter.

Quiet and unassuming in manner, Lieutenant Vance was possessed of a keen perception and an unalterable determination. Far back in 1940 , when most of us were still dubbing the then European conflict a "phony war," he envisioned the danger which lay ahead and made his decision. Entering the service in mid-summer of that year, he underwent an intensive course of training and in February, 1941 was given a commission as Ensign.

At the time of the treacherous Pearl Harbor attack, Lieutenant Vance was serving with the Asiatic fleet in the Philippine or East Indies area. From then on, he was in the thick of the fighting and is known or believed to have taken part in the battle of Macassar Straits, the Coral Sea battle, the Marshall and Gilbert Islands engagement--in fact, every major action of the fleet except those of Pearl Harbor and Midway.

Shortly before the battle of the Solomon's, Joe--now a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, received a signal honor in the form of an appointment as Liaison Officer aboard the Australian Cruiser, Canberra, the ship to which he was attached at the time of his death. The only American officer aboard the vessel, he won the friendship and respect of officers and men alike; in fact, letters received by the Vance family from Australian officers who were stationed on the Canberra describe him as being the most popular officer aboard the ship. As one officer remarked, "The boys all liked him; he could take a lot of friendly chaff."

When action was started against the Solomon's early in August, the Canberra led the attack. As Liaison Officer, Lieutenant Vance remained at his post with the Captain throughout the fierce fighting. At 1:45 o'clock Sunday morning, August 9th, a high-explosive bomb scored a direct hit on the Cipher Room where he was on duty, completely demolishing everything in that immediate area. The men, of course, never knew what happened. The Canberra, sunk in the same action, lost 84 men but managed to save most of her remaining crew of approximately 800.

In his letter to Joe's family, one Australian officer commented, "You will always have the satisfaction of knowing that Lieutenant Vance's sacrifice was not in vain, for the Canberra and her gallant crew made it possible for us to land the contingent of Marines who today are still in possession of those Solomon bases."

In attempting to pay tribute to Lieutenant Vance, we become aware of the utter futility of mere words. The love and admiration of those who knew and worked with him constitute a tribute far greater than anything which could be said or done. Though our hearts are heavy, they beat faster in the knowledge that he, whom we were privileged to call our friend, met the final test in a manner which measured up to the highest traditions of loyalty and courage. He couldn't do more--and, being Joe, he wouldn't do less.

To his sister, Willa, who joined the bank family after Joe entered the service of his country - to his father, Joe, Senior, whose association with us a quarter of a century ago still remains one of our happiest memories--and to the other members of his family, who, through this tragedy have been brought closer to us and who have given us a most inspiring example of courage, faith and fortitude in this hour of deepest sorrow, we extend heartfelt sympathy and our solemn pledge that henceforth we shall exert our every effort toward justifying his faith in us and furthering that cause for which he so unselfishly gave his life.

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LIEUTENANT VANCE HONORED
A splendid tribute to the memory of our own Joe Vance, who gave his life while serving as liaison officer aboard the Australian cruiser, Canberra, during the opening phases of the battle of the Solomon's, is paid by the Navy Department, which has notified Lieutenant Vance's parents that a new destroyer escort vessel is to be named the U. S. S. Vance. The ship, which will be launched June 21st at Houston, Texas, Will be christened by Lieutenant Vance's mother, Mrs. Joseph W. Vance. Joe's sister, Willa, will be given leave of absence from her duties in our Correspondent Bank Department in order that she may accompany her parents to Houston for the ceremony.

Needless to say, every First Family member will be there in spirit with this splendid family and will share their pride in this public recognition of Joe's achievements and final great sacrifice.

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Memory Of Seven Tennesseans Lives In 'Fighting Monuments'
December 3, 1943

Riding the waves today as "fighting monuments" to seven heroic Tennesseans whose valor they commemorate are seven sleek, new ships which have been named in their honor, the Public Relations Office of the Eighth Naval District at Nashville reported yesterday on the eve of-the second anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

Most dramatic of all is the story of Comdr. Howard W. Gilmore of Knoxville, whose name lives in the new Gilmore, a submarine tender. It was eommander Gilmore who gave the now historic order, "Take her down!" to his submarine crew while he remained on the bridge, wounded, to meet certain death as his pig-boat submerged when savagely attacked by a Japanese patrol vessel. His crew was saved, he wad awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.

Memphians Honored
Named for William Finney Cates of Mempbis, who won the Navy Cross and lost his life on the Ill-fated cruiser San Francisco, is a swift new destroyer escort, the Cates. The Memphian, operating an antiaircraft gun on the deck of the San Francisco, stuck to his post until a Jap dive bomber crashed almost directly upon his position. Killed at the same time and similarly honored with a Destroyer escort was Andrew Jackson Gandy of Chattanooga.

A third destroyer escort has been named for Lieut. (j.g.) William Joseph Vance of Memphis, killed in naval action while--covering the Guadalcanal landings.

Other new vessels now honor Lieut. Dan Cockrill of Nashville, who lost his life while serving aboard a destroyer. Pfc. Hugh Spencer Daniel, a Marine from Chattanooga who died heroically aboard the carrier Hornet, and Admr. William B. Caperton of Spiing Hill, Tenn., who was the state's first full admiral since Farragut. He died in 1941 after a long record in the Navy part of which time he commanded the Pacific Fleet.

In addition to these ships named for Tennessee heroes, there were launched in 1943 the frigates Chattanooga and Knoxville. Still in service, of course, are the battleship Tennessee and the cruiser Memphis.

Other Exploits Cited
If Cominander Gilmore's submarine exploit constituted the most coolly courageous act of the year, says the Navy Department, it certainly was run a close second by the ship-to-ship encounter between the destroyer Borie and a U-boat in the Atlantic. One of the Borie's officers was 22 year old Ensign Robert Jeffries of Knoxville, awarded the presidential unit citation along with the other personnel of the Borie, and the ships in its task unit.

The Borie, after sinking one submarine, rammed another and her bow slid over the sub's forecsstle. The range was too short for all the destroyer's guns to bear on the U-boat and there ensued a close range battle in the manner of John Paul Jones, in which tommy guns, shotguns and even signal pistols were fired and everything that was handy thrown at the Germans, including knives and empty shell cases. The Borie sank the sub, but was so badly demaged, that she had to be sunk bv American shellfire the next day.

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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON
APR221943

My dear Mrs. Vance:

The name VANCE has recently been assigned to a Destroyer Escort Vessel in honor of your son, the late Lieutenant (j.g.) Joseph Williams Vance, Jr., U. S. Naval Reserve.

It gives me great pleasure to designate you as sponsor for the U. S. S. VANCE, which is scheduled to be launched at the plant of Brown Shipbuilding Corporation, Houston, Texas, June 21, 1943.

The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, U. S. N., at the plant of Brown Shipbuilding Corporation, will arrange with you all details connected with the launching, and he will also advise you should there be any change in the launching date.

Prospective sponsors are advised that the Department has no funds out of which to defray the transportation expenses to and from the place of launching.

Will you please advise the Department at your earliest convenience if you will. be able to act as sponsor for this vessel when she is launched.

Sincerely yours,
James Forrestal
ACTING
Mrs, Joseph W. Vance,
1976 Higbee,
Memphis, Tennessee

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