Nothing is known of Archie Shkredoff except that it is believed he was born in Russia around 1885. Sometime before the Great War, he had emigrated to the United States of America and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Once there, he obtained work as a baker.
By the spring of 1915, however, he had decided to return to his native home, perhaps to enlist in the Imperial Russian Army. Accompanying him was Jacob Shkredoff, who was most likely a close relative.
They travelled to New York, where they had booked third cabin passage on the Lusitania for England, on the first part of their journey and boarded the vessel at Pier 54 in New York harbour, on the morning of 1st May.
The liner’s departure was delayed until the early afternoon to embark crew, passengers and cargo from the requisitioned liner Cameronia and just before 12.30 p.m. she slipped into the North River and out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Six days later the liner was torpedoed and sunk by Kapitänleutnant Schwieger’s submarine U-20, within sight of the southern Irish coast and only hours away from her Liverpool destination.
Archie Shkredoff was killed as a result of the sinking, although Jacob Shkredoff did. As his body was never recovered and identified after the sinking, he has no known grave. His age is recorded as being 21 years on the official passenger manifest, but as 29 years in the records of deaths at sea.
Cunard Records, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.