RMS Hesperian

The RMS Hesperian was a passenger ship of the Allan Line, which served the Liverpool – Québec – Montréal route from 1908 to 1915.  On the night of 4 September 1915, the submarine SM U-20, under the command of Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger, who sank the Lusitania, torpedoed Hesperian.  The Hesperian sank over a day after being torpedoed, on 6 September 1915, while being towed to Ireland.  Thirty-two people were killed when a lifeboat upset while lowering.  Hesperian was also carrying the body of Lusitania victim Frances Stephens on her last voyage, with Mrs. Stephens being sunk twice by the same submarine and commander.

Schwieger was reprimanded for this action, as the previous week Count Bernstorff, the Imperial German Ambassador to the United States, had assured Washington that “passenger liners will not be sunk without warning” after the Lusitania disaster.

Contents

  1. The ship
  2. Last voyage
  3. Attack
  4. Political fallout
  5. Hesperian specifications
  6. Related pages
  7. Links of interest

The ship

Hesperian of the Allan Line was a cargo and passenger steamship built by the Scottish shipyard Alexander Stephen and Sons, Ltd., of Linthouse, Glasgow, Scotland.  She was launched on 20 December 1907 and embarked on her maiden voyage on 25 April 1908 on the Liverpool – Québec – Montréal route.  The ship was named after the Garden of the Hesperides of Greek Mythology, a mythical land to the west, near the Atlas mountains, famed for the three “nymphs of the evening” who lived there and its tree which grew golden apples.

Hesperian was a single-funnel, double screw ship 485.5 feet (147.8 meters) in length and 60.3 feet (18.3 meters) wide.  Her size was 10,920 gross registered tons.  She could accommodate 210 passengers in first class, 250 in second calss, and 1,000 in third class.  Starting in January 1910, Hesperian was contracted out to the Canadian Pacific Line for a voyage from Liverpool to St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.

Last voyage

Hesperian left Liverpool on Friday, 3 September 1915 at 7:00 p.m. for Québec and then Montréal. Her commander was Captain William Main. On board were 814 passengers and 300 crew members. In addition to civilian passengers, she would be carrying wounded Canadian soldiers home and cargo.

No United States citizens were passengers, although one steward was an American national. Most of those aboard were either British or Canadian. The passengers knew of the risk of a German U-boat attacks or the possibility of running into run a German mine, as in the course of the submarine war already many British merchant ships, including Lusitania, had already been sunk.

The passengers list included the following people:

Ellen Carbery from St. John, New Brunswick, one of the first private Canadian women decorators and the founder of Ellen Carbery’s Ladies Emporium. She would be lost in the subsequent sinking.

Marjorie Campbell Robarts, sister of John Robarts, a high Canadian dignitary of Bahai Faith, who survived.

Major Percy Guthrie, a Canadian battalion commander and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, who survived.

Also on board was the casket of Frances Stephens, the widow of a Canadian politician George Stephens.  Four months prior, Frances Stephens was lost in the sinking of the Lusitania. Her body was shipped aboard Hesperian to Montréal in order to be buried beside her husband. She was therefore sunk twice by the same U-boat and commander, with her final resting place at the bottom of the Atlantic rather than by her husband.

Attack

The German submarine SM U-20 of the Imperial German Navy under the command of the 30-year-old Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger was about 85 miles off of Fastnet Rock, Ireland, on the evening of 4 September 1915.

Schwieger sighted Hesperian steaming at full speed just hours after the ocean liner had left Liverpool. Through his periscope, he saw Hesperian zigzagging towards him. Even though he did not know the identity or the purpose of the ship, he made the decision to attack. As he did with Lusitania, Schwieger fired a single torpedo at his target.

The torpedo struck Hesperian‘s starboard bow at 8:30 p.m. and exploded in the forward engine room. The impact sent a wall of water and debris shooting into the air and striking the bridge and the boat deck with great violence, causing significant damage. The ship shuddered and listed to starboard. Furniture slipped and dishes fell and broke. Steam escaping from the engine room enveloped the upper decks.

Captain Main had the ship stop immediately, rang the alarm bells, and ordered the SOS signal to be sent. He also ordered his officers to lower the lifeboats. Despite it being nightfall, the evacuation was orderly and fair, and most boats were manned and lowered safely.  A port side lifeboat upset while lowering, killing 32 people. Eyewitnesses reported afterwards that there had been no great panic among the passengers.

The survivors were rescued during the night by several wary British ships in the vicinity and taken to Ireland.  One man who had been blinded on the Western Front had his sight restored by the shock of the explosion.  A boy had been left behind, sleeping in his bunk, throughout the sinking.

The ship’s watertight bulkheads kept the ship afloat, although she was now riding lower in the water. The vessel was evacuated in less than an hour. Only Captain Main and several officers had remained on board as a skeleton crew.  The body of Mrs. Stephens was still aboard as well. Captain Main hoped to beach the Hesperian or have her towed to Queenstown.  The ship never made it.  On 6 September 1915, Hesperian succumbed to the waves, sinking some 37 miles from land and not far from the Lusitania wreck.

Political fallout

The week prior to the sinking, Count Bernstorff, the Imperial German Ambassador to the United States, had assured Washington that “passenger liners will not be sunk without warning” following the Lusitania sinking.  When word reached Germany of Walther Schwieger’s actions, Schwieger was ordered to Berlin in order to justify his actions and apologize officially.

He was accused of having sunk another unarmed passenger liner without warning, despite the explicit directions given to submarine commanders not to do so.  Kaiser Wilhelm did not want to risk further provocation of the United States.  Schwieger complained about his unfair treatment, but in 1917, Schwieger would be forgiven by Berlin. He received Germany’s highest decoration, Pour le Mérite, also known informally as the “Blue Max.”

Schwieger would be killed in action in World War I when his command, the SM U-88, was lost with all hands, presumed to have struck a mine north of Terschelling while outbound from Germany for the French coast.

Hesperian specifications

Flag United Kingdom
Shipping company Allan Line
Port of registry Glasgow
Gross tonnage 10,920
Length overall 485.5 feet / 147.8 meters
Beam 60.3 feet / 18.3 meters
Number of funnels 1
Number of masts 2
Machinery Steam turbine engines geared to double screws
Service speed 15 knots maximum
Builder Alexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse, Glasgow, Scotland
Yard number 425
Registration number 124,266
Launch date 20 December 1907
Maiden voyage 25 April 1908
Sunk 6 September 1915
Passenger accommodation 210 first class
250 second class
1,000 third class

Related pages

Frances Stephens, saloon passenger

Links of interest

RMS Hesperian at the German Wikipedia

Detailed description of the last voyage of the Hesperian

Photos of the ship and a salvaged chronometer

Gare Maritime:  Double Jeopardy – Lusitania‘s Unique Victim

References:
“The Great War: The Sinking of the Allan Liner R.M.S. Hesperian.” MedievalHistory.net. Web. 19 June 2011. < http://www.medievalhistory.net/hesper~n.htm >

Molony, Senan.  “Double Jeopardy – Lusitania‘s Unique Victim.”  Gare Maritime.  Web.  18 June 2011. < http://www.garemaritime.com/features/lusitania_victim/ >

“RMS Hesperian.”  Wikipedia: Die freie Enzyklopädie. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July 2004. Web. 28 April 2011. < http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Hesperian >

154 thoughts on “RMS Hesperian”

  1. hello thanks for the info re .hesperian.my dad sailed on the hesperian from glasgow to quebec in the spring of 1911,would he have had to get a nother ship to take him to liverpool,as i see it sailed from liverpool to canada ,or did it sail from glasgow in the bebining ? also did it handle any clydesdaale horses on the voyage or only people ? thank you so much don munro wpg.mb.can.

  2. Thank you for the info on this ship. My grandfather was one of the wounded Canadians on board, after being wounded at II Ypres. I was looking for info on him and the article helps a lot. I am trying to verify a family “legend” about why he was named as “Chevallier de la Legion d’Honneur” related to his saving civilians from the ship.

  3. I an greatful for the information in this article as i have found it hard to find much out ,my Great grandmothers sister was on board with her two children ,she gave her infant daughter (Maria)to some one hold while she went down for the life jackets ,but when she came back the lady/gent and Maria were gone! My great grand aunt survived ,after reading this i wonder if Maria was taken onto the the life boat the capsised ,there were a lot of survivors but I still cant seem to find out exactly what happened .

    • Mr. Maddox

      Were you ever able to obtain a passenger list. My aunt was a passenger on the Hesperian with my grandmother and father. My aunt was listed as missing among the 32 passengers and crew.

      Ken Jenkins

    • Did you find that list. I believe my grandfather was also a steward and was also on that ship when it sank. The family legend is that he survived the sinking of the Lusinia, but we cannot find any record, so assume it was the Hesperian that he was on – and survived, although wounded.

  5. My great great and maybe even another great grandmother was in the war and was on this ship “Hesperian” the Captain was “Captain Main” I have a photograph from May 1915

  6. I have other picture with some names on too! some of the names in the album are as follows.

    My G G Grams ” Alma Naomi Dancey”
    Captain main
    Mrs. Jaqqard (not sure of the spelling)
    Captain Drawsake
    Tina Mowbray
    Mollie Flint
    Roy ???
    Miss Stinson
    Moore Barrocks (the group)
    Floys Shannon and Gordon

  7. My 4X Great Aunt was a Stewardess on the Hesperian. She was one of the casualties but I’m still unable to track down where she was buried. Does anyone know anything of where these poor souls ended up?

  8. Hi,

    I have a passenger and crew list for the Hesperian’s final voyage if I can be of any help. Steward J.W. Maddox is listed, along with little Maria Jenkins

    • I am looking for evidence that a relative was among the casualties on the ‘Hesperian’- Emily Morrey born 1884/5 Prees, Shropshire who was on her way to the States to get married. We were led to believe that she died on board the ‘Titanic’but having found no mention of her in the passenger lists it seems she died on 4 Sept 1915 at sea which makes it highly probable that she was on the ‘Hesperian.’ Can you help, please/

      • Craig: I have uncovered some more information on passenger Corporal Thomas Abram, his wife Edith and daughter Francis. They were my grandparents and aunt. It’s been a long time but my mother just passed away and I have some information to fill a couple of holes.

        • Just found your comment Dave. For some reason I have had no updates for months, and then a flurry came through this morning. Many apologies.

          • Craig – thankfully you finally did get my email. I was worried something happened to you! I don’t remember if I even sent anymore information but I will look back and see what I wanted to add to the story.

          • I have just discovered this website as I had a few family history questions related to the last tragic voyage of the Hesperian. I am pretty sure this is the ship that my Great Grandmother, my grandmother and her brother were on. Fortunately they did survive by lifeboats, thus I am here today too. I would love to access the passenger list- if you could kindly assist. I am pretty sure it was the Hesperian and not the Lusitania. I am new into this genealogy approach.
            Thank you, as it seems Craig Stringer, has done a lot of work for so many to help them fill in the blanks about relatives.
            lmaureenwood@hotmail.com

      • I wonder if you could possibly give me any further information about Emily Morrey…do you think she was killed on the Hesperian?Where would I find any further records of this?
        Are there any records of any other crew or passengers with connections to Shropshire?

        Thank you for your help, I would really appreciate any further insight into this

    • Hi My grandfather was J N Maddox and as far as we know he was born in liverpool.I have a photo of him in montreal. The photographer was E C Ford of 196 st lawrence blvd

      • It is possible that your grandfather was listed as J.W. Maddox. The list of crew I have is a transciption printed in the Cork Examiner. Having used crew agreement lists for a while now I know it is quite easy to mis-read certain letters, eg w for n, c and e. I wish I could be more definite

        • Hello Craig, I’m researching the story of Edward Alcock, an Allan Line steward, who may have been serving in Hesperian at the time she was sunk. I’d be most grateful if you could me know if his name is included in the list of survivors. He was also sunk in WW2 but survived that war too.

          • Hello Richard,

            I’ve checked the list of survivors, but there is no E. Alcock, or any name that is similar. I’m sorry I can’t give you a definitive answer

    • Hi craig, im doing some reserch into my grate grandfather but there are alot of mixed storys we know he was on a ship that got hit by a u boat in ww1 but no-one has a name for me! could you please tell me is there is a “William hackett” listed as crew. thanks

    • My great grandma Clara Mortham & great aunt Selina Mortham were on this boat. They were going to meet my grandpa & great grandpa who were already in Canada. I would love to have a copy of the passenger list for my family history.

      • Hi there Lori, your great grandmother Clara was married to Nelson Mortham I believe. And Nelson was the younger brother of my great grand father John Archibald Mortham and therefore my great grand uncle which sort of makes us cousins. 🙂 I’d love to talk about family history. I’ve also done quite a bit of family research. My email is clare.hanlon@ntlworld.com . I’d love to share information with you. Btw I’ve just copied a passenger list tonight. Let me know if you’d still like one. Take care now. Clare. 🙂

    • Hi Craig, I am trying to confirm that my Grandfather, William Josiah Woods was on the Hesperian. He was rescued after many hours in the sea and taken back to Cork. My Mother is 94 now and her memory is a little hazy so not entirely sure it was the Hesperian he was on. He was a passenger not crew. Any hel would be much appreciated.

    • Hi from Ottawa. My grand-mother’s two brothers were on the ship when it was sunk. They were doctors returning from service in Europe. Their names were Harold and Conrad Geggie.We have family stories of Conrad helping people “disembark”. Do you still have a list of passengers? I would really appreciate a scan of an original if that is possible. Thanks in advance.

    • I have just discovered your comment on this website. My Great Uncle was an engineer on the Hesperian when it was sunk. Possibly my Grandfather might also have been a crew member. I would be very grateful for any crew list information.

  9. Emily Morrey, age 31, is listed on the passenger list as a second class passenger, travelling on ticket 25013. She is listed as a teacher. A note on the original passenger list records that she was listed as missing after the Hesperian sank.
    Hope that helps

  12. My Grandmother was on the ill fated trip of the Hesperian that was torpedoed on Sept 4 1915. Her and her family survived but lost everything. Does anyone have a passenger list on this last sailing?

    Doreen

      • Hi,

        The de Gorog family are listed as travelling on first class ticket 12089.
        Mrs L. de Gorog
        Miss Leopoldias
        Master Richard
        Miss Stephanie
        Master Rudolf
        Miss Katherine
        and also Mrs de Gorog’s mother, Mrs Adolphias Pejatsheki
        The spelling is not mine.
        A number of stories appeared in the press after the sinking, including one that one of the boys was forgotten in the rush to leave the ship. Found by a crewman, he was taken to the bridge. Captain Main then saw the boy to a lifeboat. Another story that appeared recounted how Mrs de Gorog pulled her mother into a lifeboat from the sea.

      • Thank you so very much, none of new My Grand mother’s mother was on the ship also.I have that spelling at Adolfine Peituchek I’m sure about that spelling also. thanks Roy E.de Gorog.

        • Thanks for sharing your great grandmother’s name. I’ve never seen it spelled the same twice – not on the Board of Trade lists or any list of survivors. Glad I could help
          Craig

  14. Hello,

    My great grandmother Mrs. Jane Gibson and children who were Lydia, Thomas, Robert and Ella were on the Hesperian. They were coming to Canada to meet her husband who was John Robert (Jack) Gibson. She may have gone by Mrs. Jack Gibson. My grandmother Lydia had long hair and when she was in the water someone pulled her into the life boat by her hair. One of her brother’s was sucked into the a port hole from the suction but managed to get out again. They all survived. That’s all I really heard about the sinking.
    Thank you for any information, Doreen

  15. Hello Doreen,
    Your family are listed. they travelled third class on ticket 44993 as Mrs J.H. Gibson, age 35, Lydia, age 15, Thomas, age 11, Robert, age 7, and Ella, age 4.
    The family were then booked on the Corsican (same ticket number), sailing to St. John’s, Newfoundland, in November. When they arrived Mrs Gibson was listed as Jane.
    Thanks for sharing what you know of the family on the Hesperian. It is incredible to think what these people went through, especially as they were many women on the ship travelling with children. It seems incredible that more people weren’t lost.
    Best wishes
    Craig

    • Hi Craig: You responded to Doreen Apr 19,2012 Robert Gibson age 7 was my grandfather. Do you have any record of Doreen’s email address so I can talk with her as she would by my cousin and we both live in BC. Thank you.

  17. Hi Doreen,

    You are welcome. I’m in Wales. The departure lists from the UK lists are available on the findmypast website. The arrival of the Corsican in Canada can be found on the Canadian Government website – although you have to look page by page until you find the name. Ancestry offers the same passenger lists, but you can search by name, which makes things quicker.
    Glad I could help
    Craig

    • Do you have any other information on the Hesperian as I relative of the infant Maria just trying to find out what actually happened to her Mother and brother survived .I can only presume she ended up in the tipped lifeboat ,do you have any further info ? thanks Donna

  18. Hi Donna,
    Kate jenkins was travelling on second class ticket 37176, with her children, Arthur E, age 11, and Miss M.C, age 11 months. Kate’s age was given as 35. I assume this is who you refer to as Miss Maria Jenkins was lost.
    In the Irish Times of September 7th 1915 there was an interview with Mrs Jenkins. In it she explained that she and her children were on deck when the Hesperian was torpedoed. Anxious not to take the children below decks she left Maria in the care of Arthur, while she went to find lifebelts. When she returned on deck she found Arthur alone. A steward had come along and taken Maria. He had passed it to a woman in a lifeboat. The lifeboat capsized as it was lowered, and Maria was lost. This is the only account I have seen by Mrs Jenkins.
    Kate and Arthur returned to Birmingham afterwards and stayed there until July 1916 when they crossed to Canada on the Scandinavian. By then Kate’s husband had joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
    Hope that helps
    Craig

  19. Hi Craig
    How can I get copies of crew list from Hesperian?
    My great uncle george wynne we believe was on the ship and others from Liverpool

  20. Hi,

    My copies of the crew list came from the Cork Examiner from September 6th 1915, supplied by Cork Library. Full crew agreements for many ships are held at the National Archives in Kew. The last time I searched for any, I have to be honest and say I used a researcher. The staff at the NA were less than helpful. I have looked at my crew list but there is no George Wynne, although many of the crew were from Liverpool. Could your great uncle have been on another ship that was lost? There was a George Wynne saved from the Lusitania when it was torpedoed in May 1915. That George Wynne was age 16, and was employed as an assistant cook. His father, Joseph, a sculleryman, was lost in the sinking.
    Hope that helps

  21. Hi Craig
    Thanks for the quick reply, he is the same person from the lusitania which I already knew. I have recently discovered an old tape recording from 1976 in which George talks about what happened on the lusitania and then goes on to say he was torpedoed in the same year on the hesperian as well,that is why I was trying to confirm it. do you know if your list is a complete one?
    Thanks for your help
    Joe Wynne

  22. Hi Joe,

    As far as I know the list is complete – it lists each crew member and their position on board. It is possible, as it is from a newspaper, that a few names have been missed. That said, had George survived both wrecks I am surprised that the press didn’t cover it. When a fireman from the Titanic survived the loss of the Empress of Ireland he was interviewed widely, and I have also seen a passenger from the Falaba who survived a second wreck, and was interviewed. Have you tried contacting Mike Poirier? He knows more than I do about the Lusitania. He may have a record in his files.

    Best wishes
    Craig

  23. Again, thanks for your swift response Craig, I agree with everything you say about press etc, but I am new to this research stuff and listening to him talking on tape he sounds so convincing about this story, I dont know where the tape originated (it was my aunty who gave it to me, she is in her eightys now) and who he was speaking to but it sounds like a local radio interview. As I am from Liverpool I attended the rememberence service at the Lusitania propellor on the 7th May 2012 (last week)and the maritime museum said thay are trying to put something together for the 100th anniversary in 2015 ( passenger and crew details and stories from Liverpool people)Thats what started me down this road. I dont know who Mike Poirer is or how I would contact him, If you can help let me know.
    I have turned the tape into an Mp3 which I want to send to the museum but before I do I would like to confirm what George said is correct.Even so, the story he tells of the Lusitania’s sinking is quite powerfull.
    Thanks Craig

  25. Hi Joe,

    I suppose we all started somewhere – only that somewhere is a long time ago now, and it is easy to forget how hard it can be when you start researching. Sorry, if we don’t always seem to understand. Mike’s advice about checking the local press is good. As you live in Liverpool you could visit the library and check out the Liverpool papers for September 1915. You may not find a direct account by George, but you may find a crew list which gives his name. I have to say I haven’t tried the Liverpool papers, so I don’t know what to expect. I will say that it can take a couple of weeks for stories to filter through, so be prepared for a search. Since George left an recording of his experiences it might be worth getting in touch with the Imperial War Museum. Not only would they be interested in his story, but they may have some knowledge of who may have recorded the interview. I have found the staff at the musuem very helpful in the past.
    Good luck
    Craig

  26. Hiya Craig and Mike, thanks to both of you for your help and advice. I intend to investigate further as soon as I can. We do have a large central library here in Liverpool so thats where I will begin.If I unearth any information I will let you know.
    Thanks again
    Joe Wynne

  28. I think my Grandfather might have been on the crew list. His name is Frederick Davie, and he was a ships printer and steward.It might solve a family mystery if he is on the list.

  29. Hi,

    I am sorry, but I am unable to solve your family mystery. There were three stewards on the Hesperian who were listed in survivor lists under the surname Davies, C.P. Davies, W.T. Davies and T. Davies. It is possible that the last name is your grandfather, the name having been recorded incorrectly. But the name could also be correct. None of the men is listed as a printer. Without further information it would be wrong to assume any of these men were your grandfather.

  30. Thanks very much for your reply.
    Sorry to be pernickety, but my Grandfathers name is Davie not Davies. A common error the family is Scots not Welsh.
    I would be very obliged if you could take another look at your crew list for Frederick Davie.
    Thanks for your time and effort.

  31. Hi, You’re not being pernickety – it was me – I put my last answer quite badly. I did check for Davie. There are non listed. The closest name is Davies. But, I think it is worth saying that the list of crew – as printed in the Cork Examiner – is one that was produced from survivor lists. It is possible that during the process of transcribing the names that errors were made. Davie may have been mislisted. But, it could also be that Davie wasn’t on the Hesperian at all. One way to resolve your mystery is to track down the crew agreement for the ship, which may be at the National Archives at Kew. I’m sorry that I don’t have a copy of the original agreement.

  32. Thanks for your speedy reply.
    The reason for the family history mystery is that my Grandfather was torpedoed in 1915, he was left only in the clothes he stood up in. This so angered him that he volunteered for the army to fight in the Great War. I know he testified for service at the end of December 1915. From that I am trying to work out which passenger ship he was on. From other web sites I have found that there were only 3 ships which were sunk by torpedo in 1915, the Hesperian being one, the other two being Lusitania and SS Arabic.
    You now seem to confirm that he wasn’t on Hesperian. Your advice on looking at the files held at Kew seem to be another way. Thanks for your advice.

    • Hi
      I’ve been doing some research on ship’s printers and have come across a Frederick Davies(rather than Davie) – one of two printers working on the Lusitania when it was torpedoed. He was born c1878 to Mary Ann and Ivor Davies, Newport, Wales. Sadly, it seems this man died when the ship sank. The other printer on board was a George Mitchell. Ship’s printers are usually listed under the ‘victualling’crew. If I come across your grandfather in the course of my research I’ll post a message.

      Teresa

  33. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there were several ships sunk by torpedo in 1915. The Aquila was torpedoed off the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales on March 27th, and the following day in the same area the Falaba, bound for West Africa, was sent to the bottom. Your grandfather wasn’t on the Falaba – I have the crew agreement for that ship. The Arabic was lost in August, then the Hesperian, followed by the Hospital Ship Marquette in October. In December there were two more losses – the Ville de Ciotat and the Persia. Again, I have the crew agreement for the Persia, and there is no Davie. There were other vessels lost, but I get the impression you are searching for a passenger ship, and these are the main ones I have in my files. Good luck with your search

  34. I know as a fact that my grandfather was on the Hesperian the night it was torpedoed. I have his notes from that period. He was an officer in the Canadian army. His name was Mayor Maurice Scott but, I’m trying to locate a passenger list from that last voyage and don’t know where to look…

    Any advice would be appreciated.

    Regards,

    Neil Scott

  35. Darn auto correct… Its Major Maurice Scott but, at the time he was Lt. Maurice Scott. I read through all the posts and tried following all the links and got really lost.

    Thank you.

  36. Hi Neil,
    I can tell you that there was a Lieutenant Scott on the Hesperian. He was booked under first class ticket 10607, and was listed with a Captain Morley and a Captain Stern. The list is available from the website findmypast, which has many UK outward passenger lists. As a survivor, Scott was transferred to the sailing of the Corsican, and his is listed on the same ticket, with the same fellow officers. The Hesperian list appears to give an initial of H. The passenger list recorded by the Canadian authorities, and which is available through the Canadian Archives website, is very difficult to read, but Lieutenant Scott is at the bottom of a page with Morley and Stern. The web link for that site is http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/passenger/001045-100.01-e.php. The same lists are also available through Ancestry.com.
    To complicate matters, the Toronto World on September 8th printed a list of survivors which listed Lieutenant Scott as H. Maxwell, a young officer from Ontario. Scott’s name is missed off survivor lists printed in Ireland at the time.
    Given that you say you have proof that Maurice Scott was on the Hesperian I would suggest the name in the Toronto World is an error. However, I would ask you if your grandfather was born with more than Maurice as a forename? I have found two officers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, Harold Maxwell Scott and Henry Maurice Scott. Given the men have the same initials I can see where the Canadian newspaper may have made a mistake.
    I hope this helps you
    Craig

  37. You are absolutely correct, his full name was Henri Maurice Scott. The information you have provided is invaluable.
    I have a 26 page hand written document of his memories ending in 1939. I am trying to piece together all the names in his document.
    The true purpose of his being in England at the time was to have a private audience with the King of England and their top generals. He was summoned to England by General Sam Huges of Canada and under the greatest of secrecy was given the task to infiltrate the ranks of Adrian Arcand in Canada.
    The Commonwealth needed to know where loyalties lay amongst the top officers in Canada. With the communist movement in the west to the antisemetic uprising throughout all of North America and Europe.
    He was even part of the first canadian involvement in the Olympics in 1908 in the artistic gymnastics team. This position gave him access to the elite of Europe and he even had several private audiences with the Pope.
    Major Scott worked his way up to being in the highest of confidences of Adrian Arcand and became his right hand man. Once again as a covert operative and reporting to General Hughes.
    His 26 page document was written in haste prior to his arrest and incarceration in 39. Although he kept his true intent secret, he needed to share the truth with his family.
    With the addition of the other two officers that shared a cabin with him on the Hesperian, their presence was surely not coincidental. So another tangent has presented itself in this tangled web of secrecy.
    Thank you so much for taking the time to research this information.

    My best regards,

    Neil Scott

  38. Hi Neil,

    I’m really glad the information was usueful to you. Your grandfather had a fascinating and full life, and I wish you luck in identifying the people as you piece the story together.

    With very best wishes
    Craig

  39. My mother was a passenger on that ship and lost the tip of a finger when the ship was torpedoed. Her mother was bring three small daughters to Canada. What a great article.

    Peggy Marcus

  40. Isn’t it amazing how such an insignificant steam ship inadvertently plotted it’s course through history. This is with reference to the Lusitania being sunk a week earlier by the same u-boat.
    The Hesperian had better luck with only a handful of casualties.

    Imagine if you may, if the u-boat captain had a bearing on the engine room and the ship sunk immediately. None of us would be here to talk about it…

    My fascination lays in the military and political aspects of the voyage. My grandfather summoned to England by the king to infiltrate the ranks back home. Ultimately to expose insurgents with anti semetic or communist roots.

    It was a messy period in our history, so much was happening behind the scenes. With my research to date, I question the validity of what has been written in the history books. As an example, documents are still classified with regard to my grandfather.
    I have even had the opportunity to speak with a gentleman in his 90’s that was heavily involved in canadian politics and knew of my grandfather. I meet him through sheer coincidence and his insight has been invaluable.
    Just for a fun thought, wouldn’t it be fascinating to gather the descendants of the Hesperian in some sort of event or reunion…

  42. Isn’t that amazing! It is a small planet after all. To think that our ancestors rubbed shoulders…

    I’m in Montreal, Canada.
    Do you know which cabin she was in?

      • Hello Nick, I have no record of a Hope Castle Scott in our family. My prime interest is to try to unravel a covert mission where my grandfather was instrumental in exposing elements that were not loyal to the commonwealth.
        He was on a return trip from meeting with the King of England and others aboard the Hesperian when it was torpedoed.
        I can’t help but wonder if the Hesperian was targeted intentionally.

        My email: iSail1@me.com.

  43. My Grandfather James Keating worked as a waiter on the Hesperian. I have a photo of him taken the day after the ship was torpedoed. I also have his Certificate of Discharge for this voyage. It states that the Description of Voyage was “Sunk” and that his Place of Discharge was At Sea!
    Re: Montarsha Jones. The stewardess killed in the sinking was Eliza Kennedy, aged 56. Married to Andrew Kennedy, she was originally from Tranmere, Merseyside, UK, but had taken Canadian citizenship. Not sure where she is buried but her name is commemorated on a memorial plaque in Veteran’s Park in Langford, British Columbia and at the Merchant Marine Memorial, Tower Hill, London UK.

  44. Thanks for your reply. I believe my Grandfather was a ships printer on board the SS Arabic which was torpedoed in August 1915, but I can’t confirm that. He was not on board the Hesperian, which has been confirmed on this forum by Craig Stringer.

  45. Hello,
    I was wondering if you had any information on what became of Captain William Main after the final voyage of the Hesperian? I’m trying to prove or disprove some old family “legends”. Thank you.
    Janet Castonguay

  46. Craig, You have been a hero to so many. I as well have been trying to find the passenger list. My great-great grandfather Jesse returned to England from Tillsonburg, Ontario to retrieve his entire family. Alice, George, Alfred, Alice, and William. I have been told that his wife Alice, and three youngest children were scuttled onto a life boat first, while Jesse and George stayed behind helping others off the ship. They were some of the last two to see the captain alive. They shook hands and disembarked the ship. The other family members didn’t know if they survived until they met again on land. Can you give me their tickets numbers, class, and lifeboats and anything else you may find. Also, wondering if a Alice Maud Mary Burn (or Burns) was on the ship? Where did the lifeboats go? Ireland? NY? both?

    Thanks,
    Jonathan Curtis

  47. Hi Jonathan,

    I’m hardly a hero, believe me, but I’m happy to help where I can. Jesse, his wife, and children were travelling in third class on ticket 930. having been rescued they subsequently boarded the Corsican on the same ticket number, leaving Liverpool on September 10th. All the family were taken to Queenstown after being rescued – actually all the survivors were taken to Queenstown. The port had had a busy year, caring for survivors from a number of torpedoed ships, including the Lusitania and Arabic. The Irish newspaper, The Cork Examiner, printed a number of photographs of survivors on September 6th. From Queenstown the majority of survivors took the train to Dublin, and then a cross-channel vessel to Holyhead. From there they boarded another train to Liverpool to meet the Corsican.
    It is interesting to note that George enlisted in January 1916, and I have speculated that the sinking of the Hesperian may have had some influence when he made that decision.
    Hope this helps
    Craig

    • Apologies, Jonathan,

      I just realised I hadn’t mentioned Alice Burn. I cannot find an Alice Burn or Burns on the passenger list, in any class.

      Sorry

  48. My Great Grandmother travelled on this ship in 1911. She was part of the “Buchanan Party” does anyone know any information on what exactly the Buchanan Party was?

  49. Hi Tara,

    Being part of the Buchanan party could mean one of several things. Essentially, organised groups sailed on ships from time to time. They could have been groups organised by a charity or government body, who were sending the group to a new country where there were work opportunities. Alternatively, some individuals were paid commission by companies to persuade people from their former homes to emigrate. This person then booked those they had persuaded onto a ship as a block. An example I could give is of a Belgian immigrant who returned to his home village in Belgium to persuade others to come to America. The emigrant worked as a sugar beet harvester, and those who were persuaded to join him would then be employed at the same farm, while the emigrant would have received a payment for recruiting new workers. I suspect, given that your great grandmother was bound for Canada that the Buchanan party was a group organised by a charity, and was sailing to Canada where they had been promised work. However, not all the work turned out as expected. Some immigrants were treated very poorly by their new employers, or were contracted to them for a fixed period of time. Many were young children, who believed they were going to Canada where life would be better.

  50. Hi Barry,

    I cannot find anyone with the name Hackett in the Hesperian crew list. I’ve had a look at a few other lists (Falaba, Arabic, Appam, Connemara, Maloja, California and Galway Castle), but he is not listed on those vessels either.

  51. Any info on the Matron.. or Chief Stewardess Mary Green, who was lost? She had previously served as Stewardess with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.
    Also a Mr Charles Kennuagh, also from the Isle of Man.

  52. Hi Mark,
    I’m afraid I don’t have anything to add about Mary Green, beyond what you probably already know. That Mary was 35 years old (at least that is the age she gave when signing on the ship’s articles), and had been born in Douglas on the Isle of Man. She lived at 26, Shallott Street, Liverpool, and boarded the Hesperian as Matron.

    George Charles Kennaugh had been born in Liverpool, the son of Manx parents, Thomas and Jane, nee Fell. He had been born at 36, Hampton Street, Toxteth Park, in 1883. George had returned from Canada in December 1914 for a visit. He survived the sinking, and eventaully returned to Canada in 1916. In 1918 he settled back on the Isle of Man.

  54. Hello Craig,

    Hello Craig, My grandmother Florence Clifford was on the hesperian, Probably with her children Rose, John and Frederick. Very grateful if you would check the passenger lists to confirm if that is correct. Many thanks.

  56. Craig
    My grandmother, Edith Abram and one or two of my aunts were on the ship when it was torpedoed. Can you give me the details of them from the passenger list? I have 2decorative plates of the RMS Corsican that were supposedly given to her after they were rescued. Don’t know the reason why. Thanks

    • Hi David,

      I have Edith Abram on the third class passenger list, traveling with her daughter. On the passenger list their names are entered in different handwriting at the end of the list, suggesting that their ticket was booked quite late before sailing.
      Edith, listed as Mrs Abram, and Frances were traveling on ticket 59719. I would suggest that their ticket was arranged after Edith had learned which ship her husband was going to be traveling on. Thomas Abram is listed on the Hesperian manifest as a returning Canadian soldier, on third class ticket 59712. A military report records that Thomas was suffering from frostbite and rheumatism.
      The press at the time recorded that the family were returning to Toronto, and gave two addresses – 30, Fraser Avenue, and Fairbank Road.
      The family gave a quite detailed account of their experiences when the ship sank, and after being rescued Thomas and Edith were admitted to hospital in Queenstown. They could not have been seriously injured, as the family sailed from Liverpool on the Corsican on September 10th.
      It may interest you to know that Thomas made a claim for lost property and for inhuries the family sustained during the sinking.
      Regards
      Craig

  57. Thanks for the information Craig for some reason I only came across it today (I think I look on that many sites I forgot which ones to go back to ) that really has solved what happened I knew the kind of version of events but you seem to have all the facts. Thanks again

  58. Hi Barrie,

    There was a Mrs Florence Clifford on board the Hesperian when it sank. She was a first class passenger, travelling on ticket 8386. However, she was traveling alone. The passenger lists suggests that she was returning to Canada. After her rescue Mrs Clifford boarded the Corsican on September 10th, and arrived in Canada ten days later.

    Mrs Clifford is of interest to me because the part of the record on which she is listed has faded with time, and appears to give her age as 50. Another list gives her name as Mrs N. Clifford, which I have speculated may have been the first initial of her husband’s name. I would be very interested to learn more about her.

  59. Hi Barrie,

    I did a quick check for your grandmother’s children. Rose, age 7, Frederick, age 3, and John, age 1, traveled on the Missanabie in August 1915, apparently under the care of another passenger

  60. Hi Craig,

    I was wondering if you could check for any record of a Dowd, O’Dowd, or similar on that final voyage of the Hesperian? My father always understood that an old relative (whether direct or perhaps a granduncle) was on the ship when it was sunk, and that he survived.

    Or perhaps he was a Hanley, from my grandmother’s side of the family. Sorry for the very vague information. I just stumbled across this page and decided to quickly send you this message. I could get more detail later off my father which may help, but from what I remember he was quite vague on the specific facts also.

    Thanks,
    Ciarán.

    • Hi Ciaran,

      There is just one name that is similar to Dowd, which is Down, and no Hanley. Mrs Down was a second class passenger travelling from 48, Seymour Place, London on ticket 48331. I understand that Mrs Down, who was a widow in her 50s, was travelling to Toronto to visit her son who had lived there for just over two years.

      However, I get the impression from your post that you are looking for a man.

      Regards
      Craig

  61. Craig
    Thanks for the detailed accounting of my grandparents and aunt. That clears up some confusion. All these years my mother has believed they were rescued by the Corsican and given two souvenir plates to mark the occasion. That may still be true, but it is more likely they got them some other way even though they had very little money.
    I still have copies of the original letters my grandfather wrote seeking compensation, which he did not receive. He was too kind to them.
    By the way, my grandmother died at 101 and my mother is still kicking at 95.
    I am going to ask my mother for more details but it is still just family memories. I can remember my grandmother telling the tale of her and my aunt Fran alone in the cold water and how they were rescued.
    Many thanks again.
    Dave

  62. Glad to help Dave,

    I thought you might like to see my notes on your family. I keep potted biographies on all the passengers and crew. Some are very brief, but I have a little more on your family. You might be interested to see that the compensation records state that your family did receive a payout.

    Corporal Thomas Abram was travelling on board the Hesperian with his wife, Edith, and daughter, Frances, age 2. The family were returning to their home at Fairbank Road, Toronto, although other sources suggested an address of 30, Fraser Avenue.
    Thomas had been born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, on December 2nd 1884, and was aged 30 in 1915. Thomas was the son of John William Abram, and his wife, Frances, nee Johnston. Thomas was brother to Walter, who had been born in Harrogate in 1882, Ernest, born in Scotter in 1887, Ann Elizabeth, born in Scotter in 1891, Frances Hilda, born in Harrogate in 1895, Lucy Amelia, born in Pannal in 1889,and Percy, born in Scotton in 1904.
    When the census was taken in 1901 the Abram family were living with William’s parents, John and Elizabeth Abram, at Bachelor Gardens, Harrogate. With John and Elizabeth, were Walter, age 17, a labourer, Thomas, a builder’s carter, age 15, Ernest, age 12, Ann, age 9, Hilda, age 6, and Lucy, age 2.
    The 1911 census found a widowed Thomas Abram living with his family at Hayfield House, Haywire Street, Harrogate. John William Abram, age 49, was a joiner and a wheelwright. His wife of twenty-none years, Frances, was also age 49. Frances had given birth to seven children, all still living. At home were Thomas, age 27, and working as a gardener, Frances, age 17, Lucy, age 11, and Percy, age 10. The census recorded that Thomas had been married for less than a year.
    Thomas had married Jessie Smith in Leeds during the spring of 1907, but tragically, Jessie, age 23, had died later in 1907.
    The 1911 census found a widowed Thomas, age 26, and a gardener in domestic service, living with his parents at Hayfield House, Hayura Street, Harrogate. Thomas father, John, was age 49, and a wheelwright and joiner. John’s wife, of twenty-nine years, Frances, also age 29, had borne seven children. At home with Thomas were his siblings, Frances, age 17, Lucy, age 11, and Percy, age 10. Also staying with the family was a Miss Edith Taylor, age 23.
    Thomas married Edith Taylor at the church of St. Peter, Harrogate, Yorkshire, on January 31st 1912. At the time of his marriage Thomas was a widower, and a gardener.
    Edith was aged 28 in 1915. She was the daughter of a coachman, Joseph Taylor, and his wife, Sarah. Edith had been born on August 8th 1887 in Holmfirth, Huddersfield. She was sister to Charles, born in Holmfirth, John, born in Holmfirth, Marion, born in Huddersfield, Dorothy, born in Huddersfield, Eliza, born in Huddersfield, and Agnes M, born in Harrogate in 1900.
    When the 1891 census was taken Joseph Taylor was working as coachman for John Thorpe Taylor, a retired woollen manufacturer, who lived at Oaklands in Netherthong, Yorkshire. Joseph and his family lived at the lodge. He was then age 31, while Sarah was listed as being 35. The couple had three children; Charlie, age 6, Edith, age 3, and John, age 1.
    The 1901 census found The Taylor family living at 25, Eastville Terrace, Harrogate. Joseph Taylor was a coachman, age 45. His wife, Sarah, was also age 45. With their parents were Charlie, age 16, and a billiard marker, Edith, age 13, John, age 11, Marion, age 7, Dorothy, age 5, Eliza, age 4, and Agnes, age 6 months.
    In early 1913 Edith gave birth to a daughter, Frances E, also born in Knaresborough.
    Thomas had joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force as part of the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry. He had then been attached to the 11th Battalion, and while serving with them had been injured. Abrams was taken to Shornecliffe to recover, and to receive treatment for frostbite and rheumatism, but was then given leave to return to Canada.
    The family boarded the Hesperian on two tickets. Corporal Abram was one of a group of injured Canadian soldiers travelling on third class ticket 59712. Mrs Abram and young Frances travelled on third class ticket 59719. Thomas Abram had been fighting with the 11th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
    Edith Abram was putting young Frances to bed when the couple heard the thud of an explosion. Thomas immediately put a lifebelt on his wife, and with their daughter the couple went on deck. There, Thomas saw a boat, and hurriedly placed his wife and daughter in it.
    The boat was lowered, but as it did, it capsized, tumbling everyone into the sea. Thomas looked anxiously for his wife and child, and when he saw them surface, he dived from the Hesperian into the sea. With only one good leg, he managed to swim to Edith and Frances, and hang on to them. Looking up the family saw another boat descending. The boat caught Mrs Abrams, cutting her around the left eye, and bruising her forehead. The family managed to swim clear, and eventually reached another lifeboat. The boat was full but the people took Frances. Thomas and Edith had to hang on the side for over an hour until they were taken into a boat.
    Thomas and Edith were taken on board the Laburnum and brought to Queenstown. There, Thomas was taken to the Military Hospital, while Edith was taken to the Queen’s Hotel. Concerned for his missing child, Thomas soon left the hospital, and arrived at the Queen’s Hotel just minutes after Edith had been reunited with young Frances, who had been brought to safety in another rescue ship.
    The family survived the sinking of the Hesperian. They returned to Canada together, on board the Corsican, departing Liverpool on September 10th, and arriving in Quebec City on September 20th. After Thomas and Edith made a claim for $11,000 in the Canadian courts for injuries sustained during the sinking, and for loss of property. Ultimately they were awarded just $3,350.
    Thomas and Edith raised a further two daughters, Elsie, born around 1920, and Doreen, born around 1924. By 1929 the family were living at 26, Connuaght Avenue, Forest Hill, Toronto.
    Thomas Abram died on April 9th 1951.
    Edith Abram died on October 10th 1988.

  63. Craig
    Wow – that’s a wealth of interesting family history. And to think my mother went to England for many summers to plot the family tree. I will read this missive and she if she is unaware of any of these details.
    I also had another aunt, Evelyn Patricia Abram. There were 4 girls. I can fill in some of the dates if you are interested.
    It’s amazing that you have researched this much information on my family. If you do this for all the passengers, you have been a very busy man.
    I will let you know what I find out from my mother as I should try and visit her this week.
    Much appreciated.
    Dave

  64. Thanks Dave,
    Let’s hope I got all the details correct. Sometimes it can be difficult to track people down after such a long time.
    I was very interested to learn that you had another aunt – 4 girls, just like my mother. She also had three sisters.
    I would be interested in the missing dates – it all adds to the story.
    With my best wishes
    Craig

  65. does anyone know anything about there being substantial tons of GOLD on the Hesperian…. ??? It was a time of war so it had to be very under the radar and also the presumption being that commercial vessels would not be sunk as compared to naval vessels.

  66. I was wondering if there’s any information on Harold Ewart . He is my great grandfather and I believe he was part of the crew .

  67. Hi Vincent, There was a Harold Parker Ewart on the Hesperian, serving as sixth engineer. Harold had been born in Carlisle on February 21st 1892, the son of John Nicol Ewart and his wife, Elizabeth Browne, nee Parker. He died in Brooklyn, New York, on January 27th 1947, having lived in America since around 1919 – his wife and children came to America on the Adriatic in 1919. Harold was listed on the US census between 1920 and 1940 as an engineer, serving mostly at sea, but also on the railroad. He married Mary Annie Telford in Carlisle in 1911, and the couple had three children; Grace (later Mrs Logan), Ronald John and Harold. Does this help?

  69. Does the passenger list show Nursing Sister Kate Robinson as being aboard at the time of torpedoing.

  70. Kate Robinson was on the Hesperian when it was torpedoed. She was travelling as a first class passenger. A brief account suggests that, as a military passenger, she refused to leave in a lifeboat before other women and children.

  71. My grandfather Edmund George Osborne was passenger on the Hesperian which arrived in New Brunswick on January 24th 1910. Do you have any idea what he his fare would have been? I imagine he travelled 2nd class or steerage.
    I am trying to determine what events led to departure. He received a small inheritance in 1909.

    • Hi Jane,

      I’ve looked at advertisements in the press for 1910. The Hesperian was listed as travelling from Glasgow to Canada at the time your grandfather booked his passage. Ticket rates in the ad start at £5. 15s. However, it is possible that he paid more, if he travelled in a better class or cabin, or less, depending on any price wars between companies, or offers to attract people to sail during the winter.

      Sorry I cant be more precise
      Craig

      • Hi Craig
        On 4 May 2015 you mentioned that a crew member of the Hesperian was Harold Parker Ewart – I’ve now learned that he was the brother in law of my grandfather Joseph Gilgour Davidson. Family anecdote has always said that JGD was shipwrecked during WW1 – I should be able to confirm this if his name appears on the crew list, so I’d be very grateful if you would check the list you have
        Thanks and best wishes
        David

        • Hi David, Yes, I can confirm that Harold Parker Ewart, sixth engineer, was on the Hesperian. His name is on the list of rescued. As far as I can tell, his appointment was a recent one. He was not listed in either the July or August voyages of the Hesperian. Hope that helps.

          • Hi Craig –

            I am another relative of Harold Parker Ewart – he was my great-grandfather. Can you tell me where I can get a copy of the crew list? It would be nice to be able to have a copy and add that to my source information.

            Thank You.
            Desiree

          • Hi Craig-

            I am another relative of Harold Parker Ewart. Can you tell me where I can get a copy of the crew list? I t would be nice to have for my records and to use as a source.

            thank you.
            Desiree

        • Many thanks Craig. However I’m afraid I expressed my query somewhat clumsily – I was wondering whether Joseph Gilgour Davidson was aboard (either as crew or passenger) at the time of Hesperian’s sinking. I’d be v grateful if you could check your material, and pls do accept my apologies for troubling you further.
          With thanks and best wishes, David

          • My apologies, David. I should have read more carefully. However, there was no Joseph Gilmour Davidson, or anyone with a variation of that name, on the Hesperian, either as a passenger or crew member. Do you know what job he did on board ship? I’ve a list of passenger and crew lists from the period, and it may help to search them. Best regards. Craig

        • Hi Craig –

          I am another relative of Harold Parker Ewart -he was my great grandfather. Can you tell me where I can get a copy of the crew list? Would be nice to have it for my records and have as a source.

          thank you.
          Desiree

          • Hi Desiree, My apologies for being slow to answer your email, but I’ve been away from home. The crew agreement for the final voyage of the Hesperian is held by the National Archives at Kew, London. It can be searched for at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ and ordered via them. I hope that helps. Craig

      • Hello Craig, Do you have a copy of the passenger list or information on my great grandmother & great aunt Clare & Cecilia Mortham who were on the torpedoed Hesperian. They were on the way to Canada to meet my great grandpa & grandpa Nelson & John Mortham. If you know which boat they sailed on to Canada after the accident.

        • Hi Lori, How much would you like to know? I can tell you that mother and daughter had second class ticket 19718 for the Hesperian. The ladies were among the first people on deck after the torpedo struck the ship, and entered one of the first lifeboats. They were horrified to discover that there were only six women in the boat, and 36 men, almost all of whom were members of the crew. The ladies delayed their return to Canada, finally sailing on the same ticket on the Scandinavian in June 1916. They arrived in Quebec, from Liverpool, on June 17th. Is that the sort of thing you wanted to know? Hope it helps. Craig

  72. Pingback: September 4, 1915 | Diary of the Great War

      • Hello John, I do indeed. Pollie Rooksby was travelling third class on ticket 54576. Sadly, I don’t have an account by her, although I gather that she had been invited by her brother to join him in Montreal.

        • Thank You Craig I never heard her talk about her brother, but she did mention that she was injured in the sinking when she fell into a life boat. Recovered with some residual problems for the rest of her life, but lived into her 80s with many great and great great grand kids. Thank You for you time and effort.
          John

          • Glad I could help a little John. Your grandmother wasn’t alone in being injured. Several women mention falling and being hurt. many were scathing about members of the crew – telling how they couldn’t abandon the ship quick enough, and how they would not have been saved, but for the help from Canadian soldiers.

  74. This has been a great read. Thank you. My Great Uncle was one of the crew who died that night. He was as Assistant Cook but strangely his name was listed as Thomas Maberley when in fact his name was Antonio Maberley. The remaining information including my Great Grandparents, birth town and their address when he died is correct, confirming who he was.

  75. Dear Craig
    Thank you for your work on the Hesperian and her passengers. I am a retired city planner and I am researching my mother’s side of the family. My great grandmother came to Canada and was on the boat when it was sunk. She had three children on the boat with her-Amy, Ivy, and Alice. Alice is my grandmother. Amy always had a limp purportedly from the accident, and there is an newspaper accounting of my great grandmother being thrown in the sea and holding onto the rowboat in a death grip. She said in the article that it was a moon filled night. I believe that they were third class passengers.
    Can you find them on the third class passenger list? They may be under the last name “Vince”. When this lady showed up with three children in Canada her husband never met the boat. For that reason I am unsure what family name the group traveled under, as I expect the “Vince” name may be a subsequent remarriage.
    Thank you again.
    Sincerely
    Sandy James

    • Hi Sandy, Thanks for sharing those details about your family. There was only one family on board the Hesperian who fits your description. They were the Turner family. From my notes I have; ‘Mrs Sarah Hannah Turner was on board the Hesperian with her three daughters, Alice, Amy, and Ivy. Mrs Turner and her children lived at 4, Wood Street, Middleton, Manchester. The family were travelling to Canada, on third class ticket 949 to join Mr James Turner, who had lived in Canada for over two years, working for Massey Harris.’ I also have the following about the family’s escape: ‘During the drama of the sinking each member of the family became separated from the others, and entered different lifeboats. Mrs Turner spent an anxious time fretting for her daughters, until she was rescued by the government boat. There she was reunited with her two eldest children. Her five year old had cut her finger during the night, while her eldest daughter, Alice, had fallen into the sea. There she had become entangled in a rope. As she struggled a Canadian soldier swam over, and tried to free her. He was successful, but hurt his leg in doing so. Another Canadian soldier, H.H. Evans, took care of young Ivy, and brought her to Queenstown. He continued to look after her until the family were reunited.’ Does that help at all? Best wishes. Craig

    • That’s great Ian – you must be really pleased. I wonder if the men with him were also survivors, or if the picture was taken while he was serving on a different ship. Great find. best wishes
      Craig

      • I also have a studio photo of him dressed in chaps six gun and a large stetson
        taken by E C Ford the photographer St Lawrence BLVD Montreal Que
        addressed to J N Maddox Stewards Dept RMS Hesperian Allan Line Montreal Canada

        • Hi Ian. I wonder if E.C. Ford took pictures of other ship’s crews? The Montreal papers seem to include crew photographs fairly regularly. I have seen a number of football teams from various ships. Perhaps E. C. Ford made a good living from his connections to the shipping lines? Thanks for sharing.

  77. Yes Craig that is more than I knew. Both my Great Aunt & Great Grandma never wanted to go in a boat after that so it must have been hard to make the trip to Canada after that. Especially after you have lost all your worldly possessions. Where do you get your information from?

    • Hi Lori, I’m so glad I could help. I can appreciate your Great Aunt and Great Grandmother’s reluctance. It must have been a very harrowing experience, and given the number of attacks on ships during the war, it must have been at the back of their minds that it could happen again. I research several ships. I’ve a number of accounts by people who were shipwrecked more than once during 1914-18. Where do I find things – all over the place. There was a very brief article on your relatives in a Norfolk area newspaper, which explained how they had survived – no more than a few lines, sadly. Another account, from The Biggleswade Chronicle of September 10th, page 2, reads;
      ‘Among the passengers who were saved from the torpedoed Allan Liner Hesperian on Saturday night off the Irish Coast were Mrs and Miss Mortham, who were on their way from Suffolk to Canada to join Mr Mortham, who has been out there 3 years. Mrs Mortham is the elder sister of Mrs H.G. Keene, the wife of Quartermaster-Sergeant Keene of the 2/5th Beds. Mrs Keene received a cable to say that her relatives were at Queenstown.’
      Best wishes
      Craig

  78. Hello Craig,

    Thank you again for shedding light on a period in our history lost in time. By the time I was old enough to want to know more about this unfortunately my G grandma & G aunt had passed. My mom did remember a few details that were passed on but those now are fading too. One was that my G grandma’s hair turned white after this event. You were able to fill in a few more blanks. Thank you again.

  79. Hello Craig, my great grandmother, Mrs. Hannah Gibson, was on the Hesperian with her children, Lydia, my grandmother, Thomas, Robert and Ella. They were travelling to Duncan, B. C., Canada to join her husband, John Robert ‘Jack’ Gibson. Do you have a passenger list? I have a copy of a poster for a benefit for the family of Mrs. Jack Gibson. It was in Felling, October 27, 1915. Thank you for any information. Doreen

    • Hello Doreen, Your relatives were travelling third class on ticket 44993, from County Durham, England. According to a small account in the papers after, several of the family were plunged into the sea during the sinking. Lydia was saved by her long hair. As she struggled in the water, someone in a lifeboat reached out and hauled her to safety using her hair. One of Lydia’s brothers (the account doesn’t say which), was sucked against an open porthole. I presume the family had gotten into one of the boats that then capsized. Luckily, they all survived. Hope that helps. Craig

  80. Hello Craig!
    As a child I remember hearing a story that my Great Grandmother and Great Aunt had been on a ship that was sunk. Several years ago I confirmed with my dad that it was the Hesperian. I want to confirm this info before I attach it to my family records. Through research I have found that they did arrive on the Corsican to Canada in September of 1915. I am wondering if their names are on the Hesperian passenger list? Marie (Jensen) Andersen age 57 and her daughter Maren Andersen age 28. The Corsican had them listed as Marie Anderson and Marew Anderson. Thank you so much!

    • Hello Amy, Your relatives were travelling as second class passengers on the Hesperian, under ticket number 81634. I have a record that they had come from Denmark to Hull on a ship of the Wilson Line first, and had then crossed by train to Liverpool to meet the Hesperian. The only account I have ever found about the ladies gave no details of the sinking, but did say that they planned to break their journey across Canada and America in Magreth, Alberta, where Mrs Andersen had a married daughter. They would then cross the border to Salt Lake City. Does that help? Craig

  82. Hi I have just been doing some family history and found out my grandfather was ships cook on the Hesperian his name was George sim southern

  83. After reading about the RMS Hespirian which my grandad was on I see that on 4th November 1916 the U-20 grounded on the Danish coast south of Vrist after damage to its engines. The boat remained on the beech until 1925 the outcome of this was the conning tower was removed and taken to the local museum Strandingsmuseum St George Thorsminde where it is still today

  84. Well, just learned of this vessel. My 4X great uncle was Walther Schwieger, I’m trying to learn more about him. This has some good information for that.

  85. My grandmother was nine years old when she, her parents and three sisters came over on this ship in April 1910, landing in Halifax (not Saint John), then traveling by train to their new home in Ontario. They were involved in a wreck, but it was a train wreck in New Brunswick. I don’t know where they embarked, but they came from the Derby-Nottingham area.

  86. Pingback: The London Years
  87. Pingback: On The War Memorial Trail….. The WW1 Letters Of Arthur Clinton Robinson | On The War Memorial Trail Research Project…….. with Pieter and Daria Valkenburg

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