Frederick ‘Fred’ Ebenezer MacLennan was born in Crosshill, Ayrshire, Scotland, on the 30th August 1870, the son of John and Agnes Cochran MacLennan (née Kirkwood). His father was a clergyman, and Fred was the fifth eldest of seven known children.
On completing his education, Fred became a commercial clerk, and then worked as a warehouseman.
On the 7th June 1901, he married Margaret Brown Smith, and the couple lived at 13, Richmond Drive, Cambuslang, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, with their four children.
Fred MacLennan worked for a Glasgow firm, Messrs. Brown & Son, muslin manufacturers, and in April 1915, he had been sent by his company to New York City, in the United States of America, to conduct business on their behalf with the firm of John Darling and Co., of 456, 4th Avenue. On finalising his affairs, he booked saloon passage for himself on the Lusitania which was to leave New York on 1st May 1915, for his return to Great Britain.
With ticket number 46168, he boarded the vessel at Pier 54 and was allocated room B57, which was under the personal supervision of First Class Bedroom Steward Walter Wood, who came from Seaforth in Lancashire, just up the River Mersey coastline from Liverpool.
Fred MacLennan was killed six days after the liner had left New York and just hours away from the safety of Liverpool, after the liner was torpedoed and sunk. As his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 44 years.
Fred MacLennan left an estate of £842-9s.-0d. (£842.45p.), which was granted to his widow on the 1st November 1915 at Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
After his death, his widow Margaret approached The Lusitania Relief Fund, which was administered by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, for financial assistance and intimated her intention to immigrate to Sydney, Australia, where, presumably, she had relatives. The address she gave to the fund at this time was 32, View Park Drive, Rutherplace, Glasgow, Lanarkshire.
In respect of this intention, the Fund arranged for £150.00 to be placed in credit for her at The Union Bank of Australia, in Sydney and as far as is known, she left for Australia in October 1915, with the offspring from the marriage, however, from minutes of a meeting held by the Committee of the Lusitania Relief Fund on the 8th December 1915, there is a record of an award of £20-0s-0d. per annum in respect of the children, therefore it is possible that Margaret MacLennan went to Australia with some of her children, leaving others behind.
Fred MacLennan’s son, VX.20740 W.O. II Francis Frederick MacLennan, 2/14 Bn. Australian Infantry was killed in action in Papua New Guinea, fighting against the Japanese Imperial Army, on the 14th October 1943, and his remains buried in Lae War Cemetery. He was aged 30 years.
Scotland Select Births and Baptisms 1564 – 1950, 1871 Census of Scotland, 1881 Census of Scotland, 1891 Census of Scotland, 1901 Census of Scotland, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Probate Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Daily Record, PRO BT 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/1/3, UniLiv D92/2/154, UniLiv D92/2/11, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.