Sergeant James Joseph Roach

Sergeant James Joseph Roach

Photo courtesy Lankston-Roach Family Archive
James Joseph Roach
1944
 

James Joseph Roach was born in 1893 and served in the US Navy during WWI.  He served in the trenches in France during WWI.  The family has a diary James kept during his time in France, but that is a story for another archive perhaps they will provide a link to a page if they have it posted.  

James was honorably discharged from the Navy in the summer of 1919.  In the 1920 census, he is listed as single, living with his widowed mother and siblings, and employed as a foreman at a steel plant.  His brothers were also listed as working at a steel plant.  James married in 1920.  

In a page from the 1923 Baltimore City Directory.  James was listed as a policeman, telling us James joined the police department sometime between spring of 1920 and the time information was collected for that 1923 City Directory.  The family moved into their Hoffman Street row home sometime between 1926 and 1929. This information is also based on a City Directory. 

The 1930 US Census lists James as a patrolman.  The next item the family recovered was from the Sun dated December 29, 1934.  The article lists the officers who received awards HERE.  James was given an award by the SPCA, but no details are given. 

Next comes the 1940 census in which James is still listed listed as a City Police Officer.  James' draft registration card during the WWII era dated April 1942 lists him as working for the Baltimore City Police Department, Marine Division at he foot of Wells St.  So, here, we get the sense that the unit’s name had changed to Marine from Harbor Patrol. 

In an article in the Sun from December 13, 1942.   The article lists James as Patrolman and handling the helm of a 48 ft craft.  This article names the Wells Street dock.  The article gives the length of the craft as 48 ft but does not name it.  I presume that it is, The Robert D. Carter. 

At this time we are unsure when Sgt Roach retired.   

The story ends with the death of Sgt roach in November 1957.  His wife was an Army nurse during WWI, she lived into the 1970s They are buried together at Baltimore National Cemetery.  The Sun printed an obituary that included a memorial from the Baltimore City Retired Police Association on November 13, 1957.