Frederick “Fred” Cole Amos Hubbard was born in the St. Pancras area of London, England, in 1891, the son of Frederick William and Jessie Elizabeth Hubbard (née Tommey). His father was a solicitor’s clerk and auxiliary postman, and the family home was at 73, Roslyn Road, Tottenham, London. He was the eldest of ten children.
Fred became a clerk in a waste rubber company, and lived at 116, Southbury Road, Enfield Town, Middlesex. He was well known locally as a very keen amateur footballer, and was engaged to Miss Kate Horn, 47. Halstead Road, Enfield Town, London.
In April 1915, he had reason to travel to New York City as a representative of a Liverpool rubber company, and booked return passage as a second class passenger on the
Lusitania. He arrived in New York City on the 24th April, and completed his work in time for the
Lusitania’s return sailing on the 1st May. He joined the liner at Pier 54 in New York on the morning of 1st May 1915 for what proved to be her last ever voyage. The liner’s scheduled 10.00 a.m. sailing was delayed until the early afternoon, as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the S.S. Cameronia of the Anchor Line, which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship at the end of April.
Then six days later, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 off the coast of southern Ireland and only some fourteen hours sailing time away from the safety of her Liverpool home port.
Frederick Hubbard did not survive the sinking, nor was his body ever recovered and identified later. Consequently, he has no known grave. He was aged 23 years. According to Cunard Records, none of those who shared a cabin with him survived either, but their identities have not been recorded.
Administration of his estate was granted to his father, Frederick Hubbard, at London on 10th June 1915. Fred Hubbard’s effects amounted to £338-7s-9d, (£338.39p).
After the disaster, his mother applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund, for financial aid in respect of her son’s loss. This fund had been set up not long after the sinking, by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other local business dignitaries, to provide aid to second cabin and third class passengers of the relatives of those lost. It was considered that saloon class survivors and relatives would be rich enough not to need help.
It is not known whether or not the Fund was able to grant Mrs. Hubbard an award.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Probate Office, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/252, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Graham Dalling, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.