Alice Margaret Laura Little was born in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, in April 1914, the daughter of James Clarence and Hannah Margaret Little (née Donovan). Her parents had left England in 1911 and 1912, to work as domestic servants for William P. Clyde, of West 51st Street, New York City, in the United States of America. Mr. Clyde was the head of the Clyde Steamship Line.
In October 1914, her mother brought her to New York City, to re-unite the family, and they established their home at 374. 37th Street, Brooklyn, New York City.
In the spring of 1915, Alice’s mother, Margaret, decided to return to Great Britain - perhaps for a holiday - and take baby Alice with her. Consequently, she booked second cabin passage for them both on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool.
On 1st May 1915, they arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in the harbour on the west side of the city in time for the liner’s scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure. This was then delayed until just after mid day, because the ‘Greyhound of the Seas’ had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner vessel Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty as a troop ship, at the end of April.
Just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, Alice and Margaret Little were both killed after the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, by the German submarine U-20. At that stage of her voyage, she was only about 250 miles away from her destination.
As the bodies of neither mother nor daughter were ever recovered and identified afterwards, neither has a known grave. Alice Little was only eleven months old at the time of her death.
With no trace of his wife or daughter being found after the sinking of the Lusitania, James Clarence Little returned to England and enlisted in the British Army. As 6460 Private James Little, 1st/6th London Regiment (City of London Rifles), he was sent to Flanders where he was listed as being ‘killed in action’ on the 22nd October 1916. He has no known grave, and his name is inscribed on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. He was aged 24 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.