Diego Olivar Pinelo was born in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, on the 14th January 1867, the son of Eduardo Olivar and Manuela Pinelo. He was a merchant by profession, but also represented his country in its consular service. He was married to Dolores Flores-Verdad Ramos in Mexico, and they had one child, a son named Enrique Olivar Flores-Verdad, who was born circa. 1895.
Diego’s father-in-law was José María Flores Verdad, a prominent citizen of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, who was in turn a grandson of Francisco Prima de Verdad y Ramos, still revered today as one of Mexico’s protomartyrs for independence from Spain in 1808.
In the early 1900’s Señor Olivar had served as a vice consul in France, and possibly Belgium, before returning to Mexico in 1907. Then, in August 1911, he was appointed vice consul at the Mexican Consulate at 23. South John Street, Liverpool, England, and relocated to this city. As well as his duties at the Mexican Consulate, he also maintained a business address at 162. Bedford Street, Liverpool. It would seem that his wife and son remained in Mexico, and never travelled or resided with him when he was abroad.
On the 26th April 1913, the Consul General of the Mexican Consulate in Liverpool, Señor Don Federico G. Padilla resigned from his position, probably because of the political situation in Mexico at that time, and in a telegram to the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dated the 28th April, Diego Olivar stated that he, as vice consul, was taking charge of the Mexican Consulate.
On the 16th September 1914, Señor Olivar boarded the White Star liner Olympic at Liverpool on the first leg of his journey home to Mexico. On arriving in New York on the 23rd September, he would have boarded another liner to travel onwards to Mexico. Correspondence in Mexican government files indicate that Diego Olivar had travelled back to his homeland to attend a revolutionary council, which commenced in October 1914, and the purpose of which was to decide on a new government for Mexico. It would appear that Diego Olivar was confirmed as vice consul at the Mexican Consulate in Liverpool, and that Federico G. Padilla was re-appointed as the Consul General.
In April 1915, Señor Olivar began his return journey to Liverpool and arrived at New York from Progresso, Yucatan, Mexico, on board the liner Monterey, on 25th April 1915. Probably on his arrival, he booked a third class ticket - numbered 1671 - on the May sailing of the Lusitania. As a consequence, he joined the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for her scheduled 10 o’clock departure. Also on board, travelling as a saloon class passenger was Federico G. Padilla. Whether they knew of one another’s travel plans prior to the voyage is unknown, and it is also unknown why one would have been travelling as a saloon class passenger, and the other as a third class passenger!
The liner’s departure for Liverpool was then delayed until the early afternoon, so that she could take on board passengers, cargo and crew from the Anchor Lines ship the S.S. Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war work as a troop ship. Then, six days out of New York, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland by the German submarine U-20, and sank just eighteen minutes later. At that stage of her voyage, she was only about 250 miles from the safety of her home port.
Diego Olivar was one of some 240 third class passengers 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 48 years at the time of his death, although when booking his passage he stated his age as being 46 years. Federico G. Padilla also lost his life, but unlike Diego Olivar, his remains were recovered from the sea some days after the sinking.
In 1915, Diego Olivar had an address at 6, German Terrace, Price Street, Birkenhead, Cheshire, England. This was also the home of John Roberts, who was a mariner, and it is likely that Diego Olivar was a lodger at his home.
As is common in Mexico, children routinely use the family names of both parents; therefore Diego Olivar also added the family name of his mother – Pinelo – on occasions.
Mexico Select Baptisms 1560 – 1950, Cunard Records, New York Passenger Lists 1820 - 1957, Gores’ Directory 1915, London Gazette, Liverpool Street Directory 1913, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv. PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, David Howard, Julio I. Godinez Hernández, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.