Alfred Francis Smith was born in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales, on the 16th July 1881, the son of Captain William Facey and Mary Ellen Smith (née Davies). Captain Smith was, for many years, the skipper of the steam yacht Lynx, which was owned by local millionaire Mr. Talbot. The family home was at Bryn Road, Swansea. He was the youngest of four known children, and in 1882, after his mother died; his father employed a live-in governess and servant to help him run the family home, especially while he was at sea.
After completing his education, Alfred Smith was employed at the depot of The Swansea Tramway Company, and he began a relationship with Elizabeth Jones, who lived in Manseltown, Swansea. Their daughter, Helen Jones, was born in Swansea in October 1908.
Either before their daughter’s birth, or shortly afterwards, Alfred emigrated to Ellwood, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, where he found employment at The Shelby Tube Works as an electrician. He already had two sisters married and living in the city, and one of his brothers-in-law, Herbert Owens, who was married to his sister, Cecilia, was a paymaster at The Shelby Tube Works and was probably influential in having Alfred employed by the company.
On the 3rd of August 1909, Elizabeth Jones and their daughter, Helen, boarded the Carmania in Liverpool, and travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to join Alfred. They both used the family name, Smith, on boarding, and although they were not married, Elizabeth was describing herself as being married to Alfred by this time.
On the 7th April 1913, Alfred Smith and Elizabeth Jones were married in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Their second child and daughter named Elizabeth, but affectionately known as “Bessie”, was born in January 1915. Cunard records erroneously state that both of the daughters were of British nationality.
In the spring of 1915, perhaps because of the war, Alfred Smith decided to return with his family to Wales, and as result, he booked passage for them all as second cabin passengers on the Lusitania, which sailed from New York just after mid-day on 1st May 1915. His sister, Cecilia Owens, and her two young children, Reginald and Ronald, decided to accompany them on the journey home for a holiday, and leaving Herbert Owens behind in Pennsylvania, they joined the Smith family on board the ship.
Six days later when the ship was sunk, Alfred Smith and his wife and Bessie became separated from Helen and all three of them perished as did his two nephews, Reginald and Ronald Owens. Alfred Smith was aged 34 years and no trace of his body was ever found and identified afterwards.
His sister, Mrs. Owens, did survive, however, and having been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, she eventually made it to Swansea, where she related her ordeal to a reporter of the local newspaper The Cambria Leader. The account, which refers to her as Mrs. Owen and also calls her son Ronald, Hubert, was published on Tuesday 11th May 1915. It states: -
The party were (sic) travelling second class and their cabins were opposite each other. On Friday afternoon, Hubert and Reginald and Helen Smith were playing on deck and having a glorious time. Everybody on board was anticipating the end of the voyage and none had the slightest idea that a catastrophe was near.
Mrs. Owen, leaving the children at play, telling them to come down in half an hour, went below to pack and dress in anticipation of landing. Mr and Mrs. Smith were in their own cabin with the five months’ old child. They had not been below five minutes when the crash came.
The first care was, of course, for the children and while Mrs. Owen dashed up in search of her boys, she assumed that Mr. and Mrs. Smith tried to find Helen. Mrs. Owen did not see a single of the little party again, neither did little Helen till she recognised her auntie in a Queenstown hotel some hours after. .....
Mrs. Owen viewed the dead bodies brought ashore without finding any of the party, ..... .
In fact, Helen was the only immediate member of the family to survive, and was eventually re-united with Mrs. Owens in Queenstown.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Pennsylvania U.S. Marriages 1852 – 1968, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Cambria Leader, Cheshire Daily Echo, Western Mail, Last Voyage of the Lusitania, Seven Days to Disaster, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.