Bernard Audley Mervyn Drake, known as Audley Drake, was born in Mitcham, Surrey, England, in March 1891, the son of Bernard Mervyn and Janet Drake (née Essington). His father was an electrical engineer, being the chairman of Drake & Gorham, and he had younger brother named Robert. The family home was at 'Copyhold', Cuckfield, Sussex, England. When the 1891 census was recorded on the night of the 5th April 1891, Audley was recorded as ‘infant’, and to have been only two weeks old. It appears that his parents hadn’t decided on what name to call him at that stage!
He was educated at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge University, qualifying as a chemist, and on the 15th June 1914, he arrived in New York City, having sailed from London on the
Minnetonka. He stated that he was travelling as a tourist, and was intending to visit his friend, Mr. A.E. Gibbs, who resided at 2502. South Garnet Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
While in the United States of America, he had studied the manipulation of an electro-chemical process with a firm in Detroit, Michigan, and had been offered an appointment with the United Alkali Company of Liverpool who was constructing a plant to implement this process. Audley Drake did not intend to return to England until later in 1915; however, he was urged to return as quickly as he could to take up his new employment as the British government urgently required the products from the new plant for use in the manufacture of explosives for the war effort.
Consequently, he booked a saloon class ticket on the May sailing of the Lusitania
from New York to Liverpool, c/o Mr. C. Leidich, of Detroit, Michigan, a local travel agent. Leaving Detroit at the end of April, he arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for the liner’s scheduled 10 o’clock sailing.
Once on board - with ticket number 46156 - he was allocated room D41, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Edward Bond, who came from Anfield, a district of Liverpool. He then had to wait until the afternoon for the ship to set sail as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner
Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April. The
Lusitania finally left port just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine
U-20. At that point, she was off The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and only 250 miles hours away from her Liverpool home port destination.
Audley Drake was killed as a result of this action and as his body was never recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 24 years. Bedroom Steward Bond who had been responsible for him in room D41, did survive the sinking, however, and eventually made it back to his Anfield home.
His father took out advertisements in various Irish newspapers, including the
Dublin Evening News, seeking any information concerning his son, but to no avail.
Administration of Audley Drake’s estate was granted to his father, Bernard Mervyn Drake, at London, on 26th January 1916. His effects amounted to £81-3s-1d., (£81.15p.).
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Sutton Surrey England Church of England Births and Baptisms 1813 – 1915, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Dublin Daily Express, Western Morning News, Mid Sussex Times, Staffordshire Advertiser, Probate Records, PRO 22/71, 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.