Charlotte Lillian Ives was born in Brighton, Sussex, England, in 1886, the daughter of Joseph and Jane Ives (née Riddles). Her father was a general labourer and Charlotte was the second-youngest of six known children. The family home was at 6. Tandy Cottages, Lancing, Sussex.
After completing her education, she entered domestic service, and then, in 1910, she immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where her uncle, a Mr. Round, lived. In 1911, she married William Samuel Pye in Edmonton, and they had a daughter, Marjorie, who was born in 1912. William Pye was a tailor and the proprietor of a business in Edmonton, known as Pan-Co-Vests. The family home was at 10249, 101st Street.
In the spring of 1915, Charlotte Pye decided to return home on a holiday to England to visit relatives in Brighton and London, and leaving her husband behind, she set off at the end of April, by rail, with her infant daughter Marjorie, to join the Lusitania at New York. William Pye had suggested that they booked passage on this liner because, being the fastest ship, she would not be so susceptible to submarine attack.
The couple joined the liner as second cabin passengers at the Cunard Pier in the city, in time for her sailing into the North River for what proved to be the very last time, in the early afternoon of 1st May 1915.
Six days later, after the liner had been torpedoed, confusion reigned everywhere and not at first able to get hold of a life jacket for herself or baby Marjorie, Charlotte Pye was eventually helped by another passenger who gave her his own.
He then tied Marjorie onto her sobbing mother and helped Mrs. Pye forwards towards a lifeboat which was still in the process of being lowered. Charlotte Pye then had to walk across two oars laid side by side to reach the lifeboat from the deck rails and was then told by a crew member that she would have to untie her child for her to be able to get into the boat. This she did, and Marjorie was handed to her from the side of the ship.
Unfortunately, this proved to be the baby’s undoing, for as the liner took her final plunge, the lifeboat was swamped and Charlotte lost her grip on baby Marjorie and she was washed away and drowned. Her body was eventually recovered from the sea, over a fortnight later.
Her grief stricken mother was eventually rescued from the lifeboat and having been landed at Queenstown, eventually made it to England. She received correspondence from Mrs. Caroline Prichard, whose son, Richard Preston Prichard, had also been a second class passenger on the Lusitania, and of whom nothing had been seen or heard of since the sinking. Mrs. Prichard wrote to all the survivors she could obtain details of, seeking any information on her son. Charlotte Pye, after a time, replied: -
2. Princes Sq.
Bayswater
Nov. 26th 1915.
Dear Mrs. Pritchard (sic.)
I received your two letters safely. Am extremely sorry not to have answered before, but I have not yet recovered from the fearful shock and tragedy of that awful affair “the sinking of the Lusitania” and writing about it is still very painful to me no doubt you have heard of my terrible experience and how when the ship went down it carried by darling baby girl and myself with it and how I held her in my arms under the water until I became unconscious and then she was dragged away from me and I have never seen her since. Twice I went under the water and the second time on coming to the surface I held on to a piece of wreckage and drifted around amongst the dead for some considerable time. I cannot say just how long I was in the water, it seemed to me an eternity, but when I was rescued I was not taken straight into a life boat, but three men who were sitting on an overturned boat pulled me out of the water when I happened to drift their way, and it was some time afterwards that a boat load of people came along and took me on to their boat. When I got on board my life was almost gone and I do not remember who was in charge of the boat, but I can say that while I was there I did not see any man who passed away. Two or three were in a state of exhaustion but I think after a time they recovered somewhat. I do not know what happened to them afterwards because a fishing smack, the Flying Fish, I think by name came along and took us on to her. I wish I could tell you something to comfort you in your great distress but unfortunately I cannot. I do not ever remember seeing your dear son and if I did I fear should not have recognised him. It all happened so swiftly and everybody was more or less insane, but there is one thing I fell you can rest assured and that is if your son did pass away on a boat his body would not have been left there, but would have been brought into Queenstown with the others.
I feel I cannot write anymore just now, it distresses me too much. My darling babe who I have lost was my only child and all the world to me. Since she has been taken from me in such a cruel way my whole life seems different. I loved her so much and at times I feel I cannot go on living without her. I know too what you must be suffering and my heart goes out in sympathy for you. I have written this letter as bereaved mother to bereaved mother and am sure you will understand.
Must now close, my deepest sympathy to you and yours believe me to remain.
Yours sincerely
Lilian Pye
No trace of Richard Preston Prichard was ever found.
In October 1916, Charlotte returned to her husband in Edmonton, and filed a claim with the Canadian Commission, seeking compensation for the loss of her personal effects, and the injuries she suffered in the sinking of the Lusitania.
Charlotte and her husband had two more children – Frances Muriel, born in 1917, and
Vivian Charlotte, in 1919, and then in 1923, her husband, William Samuel Pye died.
Within a few months, still in 1923, Charlotte married Walter B. Bergin in Edmonton, and although nothing is known of her second husband, it is thought that they did not have any children.
In April 1926, the Canadian Commission decided on Charlotte’s case, and awarded her $2,000 for her personal injuries, and a further $1,265 for the loss of her personal effects.
What became of Walter B. Bergin is not known, but it would appear that Charlotte later married Christopher Joseph Kelly, of whom nothing is known.
Charlotte Lillian Kelly died in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the 18th January 1971, aged 84 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Alberta Canada Marriage Index 1898 – 1944, British Columbia Canada Death Index 1872 – 1990, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1921 Census of Canada, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Canadian Case No. 857, IWM GB62, Edmonton Journal, Seven Days to Disaster, 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.