Edward Stanley French was born in Kirkdale, Liverpool, Lancashire, on the 22nd February 1878, the son of Edward Peter and Mary French (née Nield). His mother died in 1884, and his father, who was a clerk, re-married just over a year later. After completing his education Edward became a grocer’s assistant.
On the 27th August 1899 in Liverpool, he married Elizabeth Turner, always known as “Lizzie”, and in 1915 they lived at 23, Philip Street, Linacre, Lancashire, with their children.
Edward was a professional fireman in the British Mercantile Marine, and as such, he served in the Engineering Branch on board the Lusitania and was killed when she was sunk. He was aged 37 years.
As his body was never recovered and identified after the disaster, he has no known grave and is thus commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
In August 1915, Lizzie French was given the balance of wages owing to her late husband for his service on the Lusitania’s final voyage. In addition, The Liverpool and
London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted her a yearly pension to compensate her for the loss of her husband. This amounted to £68-5s.-0d. (£68.25p.) per annum, which was payable at the rate of £5-13s.-9d. (£5.69p.) per month.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Baptisms 1813 – 1919, England Select Marriages 1538 – 1973, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/47990, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 26th November 2023.