Catherine Mary Estella Leipold was born in Stroud Green, Middlesex, England, on the 14th December 1887, the daughter of John Henry and Annie Mildred Florence Mary Leipold (née Woolhouse). She was the youngest of three children, having two older brothers, and her father was described as a professor of music and organist. In 1893, her parents divorced.
On the 31st January 1905, aged only 17 years, she married Wesley Sidney James Russell at St. Barnabas Church, Islington, London. Her husband was a steward, and also her first cousin – their mothers being sisters! It would appear that the marriage didn’t last for very long, perhaps because of intervention by their families.
For a time, she was a probationary nurse at the West Ham Union Infirmary, which was a workhouse. Then, on the 10th June 1914, she boarded the Olympic at Southampton, and on arriving in New York City, she stated that it was her intention to travel to a Mrs. Henderson, in Jefferson, Texas.
It is not known if she every travelled as far as Texas, for by 1915, she was working for Swift & Company in Chicago, Illinois, residing at 6606. Kimbark Avenue, in the city.
In the spring of 1915, she decided to return to England, maybe because of the war. Consequently, she booked second cabin passage for herself on the May sailing of the Lusitania and joined the vessel at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York, in time for her scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure, on 1st May 1915.
This departure was then delayed until the afternoon 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 about twelve to fourteen hours steaming time away from her Liverpool home port and destination.
Catherine Leipold was lucky enough to survive this action, but not without damage to her health, and as a result, when she had been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, she was taken to hospital there and not discharged until 11th May, after which she set out again for her London. It’s believed that her destination was the home of her friend, Mrs. Clara Lonsdale, at 62. Woodstock Road, Forest Gate, London.
Once there, she applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund for financial help in respect of all the property she had lost. This fund, administered by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other worthy members of the city, considered her case, but it is not known whether or not they felt able to make an award in her favour. She was aged 27 years at the time of the sinking, although her age was recorded in Cunard records as being 36 years.
The official list of passenger victims published by Cunard in March 1916 lists Catherine Leipold as Catherine Lertold, but this is clearly an error.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Chicago Tribune, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/8-10, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.