Herbert Ehrhardt, about 21, was an Englishman studying for his M. A. in chemistry at the University of Toronto. Wartime semesters had been foreshortened in Canada and he was on the Lusitania in May 1915 to go home for the summer.
During the trip he roomed with two brothers who were young men and traveling with their father. They were most likely Eric and William Gardner. Throughout the voyage, six or seven children had decided to cling onto him and would not leave him alone. Fortunately, “a girl of sixteen,” most likely 14-year-old Evelyn Neville, helped relieve him of the constant attention.
Ehrhardt was finishing his lunch when the torpedo struck. Noticing that several of the second cabin dining room’s portholes were open, he, his roommate (whom he recalled as Wilson but was more likely William Gardner), and a number of other passengers and stewards, quickly shut the ports and bolted them. Ehrhardt noticed that the dining room had emptied without any panic. As the smell of smoke crept in, Herbert decided that it would be best if he fetched his lifebelt.
His cabin was next to the stairs and once inside he discovered that someone had already taken his lifejacket. As Ehrhardt was a strong swimmer and had been dunked fully clothed before this development did not bother him. At the time he did not consider it unreasonable to swim to Ireland without a lifejacket if necessary. Before leaving his cabin, he opened his suitcase and took out the money inside and transferred it into his pocket. He had earned this money as a demonstrator in the University of Toronto’s chemistry department and it was the first salary that he had ever received.
Ehrhardt saw the situation on deck as calm as the passengers waited for lifeboats to be launched. He encountered the girl who had helped him babysit throughout the voyage; she was distressed that her brother had been separated from the family. Ehrhardt went to look for him. Ehrhardt felt fear developing inside of him but was determined not to let fear cloud his common sense.
The chemistry student reunited the brother with the family and noticed the increasing list had made walking extremely difficult. As he realized that the ship could sink before all the lifeboat were launched, he truly became afraid. He had to sit to prevent himself from falling. Others were already slipping and sliding down the deck all the way to the rails. He wasn’t sure if he could avoid bumping into people or if he would hurt anyone if he slipped.
The bow plunged underneath, causing a “tremendous turmoil in the water”. Ehrhardt seriously doubted that anyone would be able to swim in that. Perhaps, he realized, his life would be ending within a few short seconds. He slipped and rolled, hoping to avoid hitting anyone else. He said to himself, “I’m better off than most of these as I’ve nobody dependent on me.”
Silently, Herbert Ehrhardt then prayed for his mother and his fiancée.
Jumping, he reminded himself to keep his eyes open and mouth shut. For a moment in the water, Ehrhardt felt that he was only sinking, but soon the water grew brighter and he broke the surface. A wave and empty lifeboat were heading right at him. Ehrhardt put up his arms to shield himself and was pulled under once again. He surfaced again in a spot of relative calm and floated quietly, catching his breath.
Herbert was next to two boats, one right-side up, the other upside-down. On each boat were two of his cabin mates who were brothers. Ehrhardt and the older brother were on the upside-down boat and the two boats quickly drifted apart. The two men on the upturned boat helped people onto their craft. One woman they had helped died not long afterward. When the craft was almost full an exhausted man was pulled aboard. Looking around, the man broke into tears. The dead woman, still on the boat, was his wife. Ehrhardt saw a corpse drift by and saw that it was his cabin mate’s father.
A small steamer seemed to be approaching and then apparently left. Next, the auxiliary Indian Prince came within hailing distance and asked if they were all right.
“Yes!” Ehrhardt answered.
The Indian Prince promised to come back later. In the meantime, the chemistry student had not given up on resuscitating the dead woman. He also gave his shoes to a shivering passenger in the lifeboat.
Upon reaching Queenstown, Ehrhardt slept so soundly that a policeman had to shake him several times before he awoke. He found two of the mothers of the children he had befriended, but none of the children. He, however, did find his shoes again, discarded on the floor of a Queenstown shoe store.
Researchers have speculated that the family Ehrhardt befriended may have been that of Molly Mainman‘s, but this does not match Ehrhardt’s account of where the mother and not the children survived. Moreover, Evelyn Neville and her family match the description of a girl traveling with her father, mother, younger brother, and sister, where only the mother survived.
After surviving the Lusitania, he first visited his father in Cheshire before visiting his uncle in Edgbarton.
The escalating war tensions forced Herbert Ehrhardt to change his name to Herbert Hereward, which he lived by for the rest of his life.
Contributors
Hildo Thiel
References
Hoehling, A. A. and Mary Hoehling. The Last Voyage of the Lusitania. Madison Books, 1956.
This is my grandfather
Hello John-
Could you contact me at Lusitaniasinking@yahoo.com
I have some info you might like
Mike
Evelyn’s mother is Sidney Wroughton Smith Neville, wife of Albert and mother of Charles and Meriel. She was the only family survivor. Her father, Charles Wroughton Smith, lived in London and raced to the Irish coast to help Sidney look for her children and husband among the debris and bodies washed up along the coast. Sidney returned to Toronto and there was a memorial for the children. (Our family has the program). There are also some photos of Sidney with her children in Toronto in front of their home; Sidney as a young woman and Sidney with her two brothers Charles and Chris as children. Sidney wrote poetry. She was sensitive person. She committed suicide. Her mother is Emma Josephine Henry (Smith) of Barbados, WI. Sidney is my Gr Aunt, her brother Chris was my paternal grandfather.
Any information is appreciated.
Hi Carolyn, good to hear of this link to my husbands grandfather but sad to hear Sidneys story. We are of course very mindful about the Lusitania at present with the 100th anniversary only a few days away. We are joining a large group of relatives in Ireland for the commemoration. and will remember your family. There is a face book group of relatives and researchers if you would like to join? Many interesting and powerful stories being shared. Herbert went on to live a long life and died in 1985 age 91 I’m sure Mike Poirier can give you a lot more information. Best wishes Janet
Thank you Janet. Any contact with all of you is appreciated. There is a book club in my area Cottonwood-Sedona Arizona and I am going to join them for Lusitania discussion portrayed in Dead Wake by Erik Larsen. I am asking my family in Farnham to provide additional information from letters etc. and I am doing some online research. The anecdote by Mr. Ehrhardt about young Evelyn is special. Thank you for remembering my family along with many others on the 100th anniversary of the attack.
Carolyn
There are a lot of records conforming that Mabel Neville was Evelyn’s mother.
Mabel was the daughter of (ex Army) Captain Mavore Smith. They moved to Toronto where they had family (probably one of Mabel’s sisters) and Albert took a job as superintendent of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Office.
Could Sidney have been Mabel’s sister? Or even Albert’s sister or sister in law? Have you found Sidney on the passenger list? It would be great to find out more about Mabel’s relatives in Toronto.
See comment under Evelyn Neville…
Best wishes
Greg
Thank you for clarification.
Carolyn
I now have further info that might help you work out the exact relationship.
Mabel’s father was Charles Mavore Smith (same name as her son) and her mother’s maiden name was Grace Matilda Wroughton. I have heard mention of a sister in Toronto but wasn’t really sure.
Mabel was born Mabel Frances Smith in the Plymouth district in 1879. She married Albert Charles Neville in 1898 in the East Preston district, Sussex. In one document her son is named as Charles Chamiere but she used Charles Mavore on his obituary notice. The youngest daughter was Meriel Elfrida. Her name is occasionally misrepresented as Muriel, as on the passenger list.
I had not heard of the memorial to the children in Toronto. This sounds very interesting.
Regards
Greg
I have confirmed the information above by referencing our family tree and Plantagenet Rolls. I have seen painting of Charles Mayvore Smith. My Great Grandfather Charles Wroughton Smith and Mabel were siblings. It was Charles who rushed to her aid. In the family information to me, the names were confused with siblings of the next generation ie. Charles’ children (Sydney). Do you know where the services was held for Mabel’s husband and children? I would like to confirm. The letters from Charles describing the events he witnessed after the Lusitania sinking have not been available to me. Do you have a relationship to the family?
Dear Carolyn, just to say that a Lusitania Memorial Garden has been created as part of the Old Head Signal Tower Restoration Project at the Old Head of Kinsale. and the official opening ceremony will be on Sunday May 7th, beginning at 2pm see http://www.oldheadofkinsale.com
To quote the organisers “The motivation for the Garden is to create a restful contemplative space to remember the 1,962 crew and passengers who were aboard RMS Lusitania on May 7th 1915 and especially those people who lost their lives in the tragedy. An iconic, 20-metre long ‘curved wave’ sculpture in bronze, listing the names of all 1962 passengers and crew, is the centre-piece of the Garden. The artists, Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring, who have been working on the sculpture for over twelve months, have included a symbol after each name to indicate whether the person was lost or rescued. Some of the panels also illustrate the history of the Cunard liner. The sculpture will be legible from above and below.”
We will be among a group of relatives of those on board the ship at the ceremony, with wreath laying etc. and will remember Evelyn and her family, as well as Herbert Ehrhardt, at that occasion
Best wishes
Janet
Dear Carolyn, just to say that at the 100th centenary commemorations in Cobh,( which we found very moving, and also it was great to meet so many other relatives and some researchers, ), we remembered Evelyn and her family in one of the books of commemoration that were there for folks to sign. Have you joined the facebook group RMS lusitania asscociation of relatives and researchers? I would recommend it! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1737911483102269/?fref=ts best wishes Janet