Item 224: Letter from Catherine Aindow, dated 20 December 1915

S. Liverton [sp?]
West Lane
Freshfield
Dec 20th/15

Dear Miss Prichard

May I offer our sympathy to yourself and thank you for kind expression of same to us, in your letter received last night. It is very little help I am afraid I can give you in your sad quest. Although when I look at your Brother’s likeness, it seems familiar as though it were not the first time I had seen the portrayed face

How I wish I could help you, all day have I been thinking of you and going over again in mind, the heart-breaking scene at Queenstown. You will understand how difficult it is to give any definite information when you know I viewed about 170 bodies, and though in fancy one recalls each, it is only natural that the face of one’s own dear dead should stand out and confuse the others. There was one body we saw on the day of our arrival, who to my thinking bore a resemblance to your Brother, and I came to remember the brother who accompanied me remark about the dimple, as my brother had a full round chin. We took more notice of the longer coffins, as he whom we were looking was over six foot two and the body I am speaking of was fairly tall, some you could not tell whether their hair was light or dark as they were covered with smoke from the funnels.

If your dear one’s body was amongst those at Queenstown he would have decent burrial [sic], all the bodies were put in coffins and the Military with Bands playing the Death March and the sailors from the Naval ships in the harbour followed them to the graveside. We brought our loved one home, so, although it is a deep sorrow and we miss his dear companionship and support, we have the comfort of knowing his body is at rest in the Churchyard with the dear ones who are gone before.

If it is that Your Brother is lost, how I wish that comfort could be yours, if you could only know for certain that he was at rest in the cemetery at Queenstown it would be some little solace. Have you sent his likeness to the Cunard Company or Police Barracks Queenstown? The former at their offices had on view photographs of all unidentified bodies brought into Queenstown, so that relatives who could not get out there to see them before burial might identify them from photographs, all jewellery [sic] and papers or articles found on the bodies will be at the Police Barracks, also a description of corpse and any marks there may be on same likely to aid identification.

My brother who went with me to Ireland is married and lives a few miles from our village, so I have not seen him since having your letter, so will keep likeness for him to see he may remember the features clear than myself, if he says I am wrong I will write you immediately.

If there is anything I can do to help you come my way I will let you know the result. There is one survivor from the Lusitania lives in Formby I will enclose the newspaper cutting from which you will get his address.

Were there not one or more of the name of Pritchard or Pritchard amongst the survivors, but the your dear one could not be amongst them or you would have heard from him long ere this, I seem to remember seeing the name in the list, but may be mistaken. I hope and pray you will be successful in getting some definite news, and would like to know. In deepest sympathy

Yours sincerely
Catherine Aindow