Ellen Walsh was born in Ireland, in 1892, probably in County Mayo, where the family home was situated.
Before the outbreak of the Great War, she had gone to the United States of America perhaps in the hope of making her fortune, and settled in New York, N.Y., where she worked as a maid.
In the spring of 1915, however, she decided to return home, perhaps because of the War raging in Europe, or maybe just for a holiday and as a consequence, she booked a second cabin passage from New York to Liverpool on the Lusitania, which would indicate that she had achieved some modicum of financial success in her adopted country. She joined the vessel on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for her last ever sailing out of the port, just after mid-day.
Six days later, she was dead, killed after the liner had been torpedoed, and as no trace of her body was ever recovered afterwards, she has no known grave. She was aged 23 years.
In the early summer of 1915, her widowed mother in County Mayo sought financial help from The Lusitania Relief Fund, which had been set up after the sinking by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other notable Merseyside business people, to provide financial assistance for survivors and relatives who had been adversely affected by the events of 7th May!
Mrs. Walsh had claimed that she had been given regular financial help from her daughter Ellen in the running of the household and the fund awards committee made her a grant of only £10-0s-0d., on the grounds that: -
Other children will probably assist mother now.
Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.