Annie Osborne was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 19th April 1880, the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Osborne (née Strachan). Her father was a cloth lapper – a person who folds cloth, usually with a machine, and Annie was the second eldest of seven known children.
On the 11th July 1901, she married Arthur Alexander Pirie, who was an optician, and the following year their first child, Margaret, was born.
In 1905, the family had emigrated to the United States of America, and spent time in New York City before moving to Newark, New Jersey. Arthur Pirie had found work as an instrument maker, and in July 1907, Annie and her daughter returned to Scotland, returning to Newark in November 1908. Their home at this time was at 12. Grand Avenue, Newark.
In 1909, Annie gave birth to her second child, Arthur, and sometime after this the family moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, where they resided at 660. Boston Street.
In the spring of 1915, Arthur Pirie had returned to Glasgow where he obtained work with Messrs. G. & J. Weir, of Cathcart, Glasgow, who were an engineering firm, and when war broke out in Europe, designed and build aircraft and aircraft engines.
After he had secured a position with the firm, Annie decided to return to Glasgow
with their two children to be with him. Consequently, they booked passage on the Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia from New York to Glasgow, but at the end of April, she was requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, and her passengers, cargo and some of her crew were transferred to the Lusitania instead.
This must have seemed a much better deal at first as Annie Pirie and her children were allocated second cabin passage on a much bigger and more opulent vessel, and they joined the Cunarder at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York, in time for her sailing, which commenced at just after mid-day on 1st May.
Six days later, the liner was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, off the coast of southern Ireland and all three family members were killed! Annie Pirie was aged 35 years, Margaret was aged twelve years, and her brother, Arthur junior, was five years of age. No trace of their bodies was ever discovered and identified afterwards and as such, none has a known grave.
After the sinking, Arthur Pirie travelled to Liverpool to try and glean information on his wife and children. On the 27th May, the Cunard office in Queenstown received a cable as a result of his efforts on their behalf, which stated: -
HAVE REMAINS BEEN RECOVERED? IF NOT PRESUME YOU ARE MAKING BEST ENDEAVOURS. HAVING ANXIOUS ENQUIRIES
The reply was sent the same day: -
REGRET NO TRACE SO FAR OF PIRIE FAMILY. THE SEARCH STEAMERS ARE AT WORK DAY AND NIGHT PATROLLING THE COAST AND GOING AS FAR AS 60 MILES WEST OF FASTNET. NOTHING IS BEING LEFT UNDONE. NO BODIES FOUND FOR SOME DAYS.
No bodies from the Pirie family ever were!
Later in the year, Arthur Pirie senior applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund for compensation for his family’s loss. This fund had been set up immediately after the sinking by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other local citizens to give financial help to second and third class passenger survivors and the relatives of those killed, who had suffered as a result of the events of 7th May.
Perhaps because he was not a dependent on them, the awards committee turned down his application. His address at this time was 16. Springfield Lane, Glasgow.
1881 Census of Scotland, 1891 Census of Scotland, 1901 Census of Scotland, 1905 New York State Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, UK Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 – 1960, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Daily Record, New York Times, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/61, UniLiv D92/2/320, UniLiv. PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.