Elizabeth Campbell Maclay, always known as “Bessie”, was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 8th November 1859, the daughter of John and Jane Maclay (née McLeod). Her father was a police officer, and the family home at the time of her birth was at 28. Lancefield Street, Anderston, Glasgow.
She was a medical missionary, and in the early 1890’s, she had gone to the United States of America and settled in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, where, no doubt, she
carried out her work. Then in 1894, she went to Kuala Lumpur, in the Federated Malay States, where she became the second headmistress of the Bukit Bintang Girls School, which had been founded by the first headmistress, Miss Betty Langlands, in 1893. She had returned to Scotland twice, most recently in 1907, for holidays and to visit her family.
Then, in early 1915, she decided to return to Scotland for another holiday, and first sailed to Hong Kong, where she was the only woman passenger on the three-day voyage. She stayed a number of days with missionary friends in Hong Kong, before she sailed on the Manchuria to San Francisco, California, in the United States of America, via Honolulu, Hawaii, arriving there on the 15th February 1915.
Presumably, Bessie Maclay travelled overland to New York City, visiting and staying with missionary friends along her route, and on reaching New York City, she booked second cabin passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania, which was scheduled to leave New York for Liverpool on the morning of 1st May 1915.
Having arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour for her 10.00 a.m. sailing, Bessie Clay had to wait until just after mid-day for her last glimpse of her adopted country as the liner’s sailing was delayed until then by her having to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the recently requisitioned Anchor Liner Cameronia.
Just six days later, when she was within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that time, she was only hours away from her Liverpool destination.
Bessie Maclay was one of the many victims of the sinking and as her body was never recovered and identified afterwards, she has no known grave. She was aged 55 years.
Bessie Maclay left an estate of £252-1s.-11d. (£252.09½p) and although she died intestate, on the 26th September 1916, in Edinburgh, her estate was granted to two of her nieces and a nephew, presumably to be divided equally amongst them.
Scotland Select Births and Baptisms 1564 – 1950, 1861 Census of Scotland, 1871 Census of Scotland, 1881 Census of Scotland, 1901 Census of Scotland, U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to U.S. 1895 – 1960, Honolulu Passenger Lists 1900 – 1959, California Passenger Lists 1882 – 1959, Cunard Records, Echoes of Service, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/82, UniLiv D92/2/512, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Christina Evangelina Lawrence, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.