Edgar Cyril Hounsell was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, in 1886, the illegitimate son of Amelia Hounsell. His mother was a dressmaker, who died in 1900, and never married. He lived with his mother and grandparents at 30. Nelson Road, Portsmouth, but after the death of his mother, he was taken in by her married sister, Sarah Ann Poole, and her husband, Charles, who resided at 430. Commercial Road, Portsmouth.
In 1912, he married Annie Emma Elizabeth Larcom in Portsmouth, and the couple, who had no children, went to live at 56. West Street, Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, where Edgar ran the Queen’s Rooms, which was a picture house. The couple then moved to 154. Beeches Road, West Bromwich, Staffordshire. In December 1914, the couple separated after Edgar found a letter, written to his wife by another man, and when he asked her about it, she left him.
He then went to live at John Bright Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He was manager of The Midland Exclusive Film Company and in April 1915, he had travelled to New York on business, with his friend and colleague Edward Barry, who also came from Birmingham.
They had both booked their return as second cabin passengers on what proved to be the
Lusitania's last voyage across the Atlantic, and were both lucky enough to survive the ordeal, when the ship was sunk.
They were both eventually taken from the water and landed at Queenstown, from where they took the train to Dublin to catch a fast Royal Mail Steamer to Holyhead. Edgar Hounsell finally arrived home at John Bright Street, on Saturday morning.
Edward Barry was interviewed about his experiences, by a reporter from The Birmingham Daily Post the following day, and his account was published in the edition of the newspaper for Monday 10th May 1915. Some of it referred to Edgar Hounsell: -
When the ship was torpedoed, about two o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Barry explained, he and his friends had just finished dinner and ordered coffee. Then was heard a dull thud and all in the saloon sprang to their feet.
"I said to Mr. Hounsell", the narrator continued, "that's a torpedo, or the ship has struck a rock." They were at that time in sight of land.
There was no panic, the stewards reassuring everybody that there was no immediate danger, in as much as the watertight compartments were closed. Nevertheless, the steamer immediately assumed a decided list. Everything on the saloon tables slid on to the floor, and it became increasingly difficult to walk about. The women and children were hurried to the deck and Mr. Barry and his colleague Mr. Hounsell, went to their cabins to put on their life-saving jackets. They then helped to put the jackets on a number of women and children.
Following this, and having jumped into the sea before the liner sank, Edward Barry eventually managed to reach the comparative safety of a collapsible lifeboat, from where he was picked up by a Royal Naval patrol boat in the early evening, and landed at Queenstown.
It is not clear whether or not Edgar Hounsell was with him in the water or the collapsible lifeboat, but it is more likely that the two friends met up again in Queenstown, before travelling back to Birmingham together.
In September 1917, Edgar Hounsell instituted divorce proceeding against his wife, and this was finally granted in August 1918. Shortly after his divorce was granted, he married Daisy Florence Bushell (née Cross) in West Bromwich. She was a widow with two young children.
In the following years, Edgar Hounsell travelled extensively and became the manager of a trust company. He was often accompanied by his wife, and occasionally by his step-children, and maintained homes in Vancouver, British Columbia, and at 21. Alderbrook Road, Solihull, Warwickshire.
On the 26th January 1947, he died at his home, aged 60 years. He left his estate of £114,536-11s.-5d. (£114,536.57p.) to his wife, Daisy.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, England and Wales Civil Divorce Records 1858 – 1918, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Canada Ocean Arrivals 1919 – 1924, Washington Passenger and Crew Lists 1882 – 1965, California Passenger and Crew Lists 1882 – 1959, Cunard Records, Birmingham Daily Post, Probate Records, UniLiv D92/2/40, Graham Maddocks, Stuart Williamson, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.