A. Banner was believed to have been born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, in 1863. No details of his forenames or family are known.
In 1915, he lived at 307, West 113th Street, New York City, New York, U.S.A., which suggests that he was a professional seaman and made regular trips across the Atlantic.
He engaged on the 30th April 1915 at New York as a waiter in the Stewards' Department on board the Lusitania, for her final voyage home, at a monthly rate of £4-5s-0d, (£4.25). It proved a tragic choice for him as he was killed when she was sunk. He was aged 52 years.
His body was not found and identified afterwards and as a consequence, he has no known grave. He is therefore commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
The Tower Hill Memorial register records that he was a fireman on board ship, but Cunard records show him as being a waiter. In this case the Cunard records are likely to be the more reliable source.
Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, PRO BT 334, UniLiv D92/6/1, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 10th December 2022.