Elizabeth Anne Seccombe was born in Walton, near Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on 8th January 1877, the daughter, and eldest child, of Captain William Simpson and Hannah Jane Seccombe (née Tyson). Her father was a former Cunard Steam Ship officer who emigrated to the United States of America in 1895 and settled in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America on the 18th May 1898, and served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American War of 1898, before being honourable discharged in 1899.
Elizabeth, her mother, and most of her ten younger siblings, joined her father in Peterborough in 1896, but whereas her mother and her younger siblings became American citizens as a result of her father’s naturalization, Elizabeth, because she had passed her 21st birthday, did not qualify. She remained a British subject, and qualified as a nurse, housekeeper, companion, and secretary.
When her father died in 1910, Elizabeth’s income was the principle source of financial support for her mother and her younger siblings.
In 1915, Elizabeth and her youngest brother, Percy, decided to travel to England to enlist in the Red Cross because of the war raging in Europe..
At the end of April 1915, she and her brother left Peterborough and travelled via Boston, Massachusetts, to New York by rail. There, they embarked on the Lusitania, at the Cunard berth at Pier 54, as saloon passengers, in time for her sailing on 1st May 1915. Once on board, Elizabeth Seccombe was allocated room B37. This 1915. Once on board, Elizabeth Seccombe was allocated room B37. This
vision of First Class Waiter James Holden, who came from Liverpool. He was serving as a bedroom steward on the vessel’s last ever trans-Atlantic voyage. This was scheduled to begin at 10.00 a.m., but did not in fact start until 12.27 p.m., because she had to take on board passengers, cargo, and some of the crew of the Anchor Lines vessel Cameronia, which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship at the end of April.
Both brother and sister were killed when the ship was sunk, just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, by the German submarine U-20, off the coast of southern Ireland, but Elizabeth’s body was recovered from the sea soon afterwards and taken to Queenstown for identification, and before it was positively identified, it was given the reference number 164 and described as: -
Woman age 40, 5’ 1” or 5’ 3” blue eyes short thick nose, strong full face, stout make, dark brown hair, dark grey tweed costume and white blouse, black button boots, and white chamois gloves.
She was actually aged 38 years at the time of her death.
On 9th May 1915, Cunard’s Boston office cabled Queenstown to state: -
Relatives advise Elizabeth Seccombe can be identified by square gold and platinum wrist watch, black face, set with diamonds. Also sapphire and pearl platinum rings and that Captain Turner could identify her and her brother.
This was followed up the same day with another, which stated: -
Description Elizabeth Seccombe Dark hair brown eyes fair skin small hands weight 130 pounds, five feet, aged 30. Percy blue eyes very fair hair, thick set five feet five inches age eighteen.
On 12th May, a cable was sent from the family attorney, a Mr. H.T. Patten of 926-7 Scolloy Buildings, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., which read :-
CREMATE AND RETURN NEW YORK QUICKLY ASHES PERCY SECCOMBE ALSO ELIZABETH IF IDENTIFIED. FAMILY SOLICITORS GEORGE F. BRENNAN LIVERPOOL.
Despite this latter cable and the fact that by this time, Elizabeth's body had been identified, nevertheless, on 14th May, it was buried in Mass Grave B, in The Old Church Cemetery, Queenstown. Maybe the cable arrived late or was simply not processed immediately because of the great volume of cable traffic arriving at the Queenstown office at that time. Either way, it was obviously not thought expedient to disinter it for cremation and repatriation.
Percy Seccombe’s body was also recovered and eventually identified and as per instructions, was duly sent to Liverpool Crematorium, where it was cremated on 18th May. His ashes were despatched to New York on the S.S. Lapland, the following day.
On 17th July 1915, property taken from Elizabeth Seccombe's body was despatched on the S.S. Carpathia bound for New York, and on 29th July, two days after her brother's property had arrived, it was handed over to Mrs. Seccombe at the New Hampshire address, by attorney Mr. Patten. This included a white brooch set with twelve diamonds in a straight line, a earring with a large stone, taken from Mrs. Seccombe’s left ear, a
ring with a big blue stone taken from her left little finger, a small gold ring, a small silver ring with a large stone, studded on the sides with small stones, a gold clip inscribed with the initials E.A.S., a ring with large purple stones taken from the little finger on her right hand, a silver necklet, a gold chain and a pair of glasses.
First Class Waiter Holden was also killed in the sinking, but his body was never recovered and identified afterwards.
After the conclusion of the war, the Mixed Claims Commission awarded her mother the sum of $10,000.00 in compensation for the loss of her daughter and son.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, Massachusetts passenger Lists 1820 – 1963, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 267, Huddersfield Daily Examiner, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/6, UniLiv D92/2/350, UniLiv. PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.