Arthur Martin-Davey was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, on the 7th August 1898, the son of William Martin and Elizabeth Cumbe Davey (née Heard), originally of 4, Caroline Place, Claughton, Birkenhead, Cheshire. His father was a consulting engineer and naval architect.
Sometime around the time of his birth, or shortly before his birth, his father began to style his surname as Martin-Davey and his wife and son followed suit. The reason for this is not known, but it could have been for business reasons, or to make himself and his family seem more important in social circles.
He was educated at Birkenhead School, having joined the preparatory section in January 1908, and was an accomplished sportsman, being especially proficient at athletics. He left school in July 1912, to go to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where his father had been appointed as a consulting engineer with the Union Steamship Company. The family home there was at 4435, 12th Avenue, West Point Grey, Vancouver.
On 22nd August 1914, he entered the service of the Canadian Bank of Commerce at the Kitsilano branch, in Vancouver, which position he relinquished eight months later on 24th April 1915. In early 1915, his father had secured another position in Devonport, Devon, and the family set off to return to England. Arthur himself
intended to enter the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and eventually serve in the British Army.
Consequently, the family booked as second cabin passengers on what became the Lusitania’s final voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Having travelled from Vancouver by rail, they arrived in New York in time to board the liner at her berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour, on the morning of 1st May 1915. This was just in time for her delayed sailing which actually began just after mid-day, as she had to wait to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the recently requisitioned ship S.S. Cameronia, which was taken up from trade for war work, by the British Admiralty at the end of April.
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, all three family members perished when the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that time, she was within sight of the southern Irish coast and only hours away from her Liverpool destination.
Although his mother's body was recovered from the sea three days after the sinking, those of Arthur and his father William never were. Arthur Martin-Davey was 16 years of age.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1911 Census of England & Wales, Cunard Records, Birkenhead News, Birkenhead School Records, Letters From The Front, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Ray Westlake, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.