Patrick William Seagraves (1861 – 1915), 54, was a British subject and able-bodied seaman serving in the deck department of the Lusitania on the ship’s last voyage. When the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, Seagraves lost his life. His body was not recovered or identified, so he is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London.
Biography
Patrick William Seagraves was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England on 10 April 1861, the son of Matthew and Margaret Seagraves. He married Jane Shervington in Liverpool in 1883, and in 1915 they lived at 14 Grove Place, Westminster Road, Walton, Liverpool. In total, they had eleven children, although only five were still alive by the time of the 1911 Census of England.
Patrick was a professional seaman in the Mercantile Marine and signed on board the Lusitania at Liverpool on 12 April 1915 as an able seaman in the Deck Department, at a monthly rate of pay of £5-10-0d (£5.50). On his engagement, £1-10s-0d (£1.50) of this sum was advanced to him. He sailed with the vessel when she left the River Mersey for the last time, on the morning of 17 April.
He was on watch in the crow’s nest until 2 pm on the afternoon of the ship’s loss three weeks later, when the vessel was on her return trip to Liverpool. He was relieved by Able Seaman Thomas Quinn. Having descended to the deck, nothing more was ever reported about him and he must have killed after the vessel was struck. He was aged 54 years, although he claimed to have been aged 49 years when he signed on for the voyage.
His body was not recovered and identified afterwards, so he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He is also commemorated on the Roll of Honour in the basement of the town hall in the City of Liverpool.
The balance of wages owing to him was paid to his widow at Liverpool in August 1915. The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited also granted her an annual pension which amounted to £32-13s-2d (£32.66), payable at the rate of £2-14s-6d (£2.72½) per month.
The records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission show his name to be spelled Segraves but Cunard records and the Liverpool Roll of Honour, show it to be spelled Seagraves which is confirmed by his signature on his Particulars of Engagement when he signed on at Liverpool.
Links of interest
Patrick William Seagraves at the Merseyside Maritime Museum
Contributors
Peter Kelly, Ireland
Ellie Moffat, UK
References
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths
1871 Census of England & Wales
1881 Census of England & Wales
1891 Census of England & Wales
1901 Census of England & Wales
1911 Census of England & Wales
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Cunard Records
PRO BT 100/345
PRO ADM 137/1058
UniLiv. PR. 13/24
Pro BT 334
Hi can you amend text to read signed on 12 April – cannot have been 12 May as he died 7 May