George Peter Meaney was born in Tunstall, Staffordshire, England, in 1885, the son of Peter and Emma Meaney (née Greaves). Around the time of his birth, his father was employed as an ironstone miner, but later became a hewer in a coal mine. The family home was at 5. George Street, Tunstall, and George was the eldest of four children.
On leaving school in his early teenage years, he became an apprentice painter, before following in his father’s footsteps as a coal mine hewer. In 1908, he married Lily Gregory in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The couple, who had no children, and lived at 3. Bridgford Street, Big Barn Lane, Mansfield.
In late 1911, or early 1912, he had been emigrated to Thomas, Tucker County, West Virginia, in the United States of America, and found work as a foreman at an electrical works. His wife followed him in October 1912; however, she obviously did not settle in her new surroundings and returned to Mansfield in February 1914, residing with her parents at 9. 7th Avenue, Forest Town, Mansfield.
In the spring of 1915, George Meaney decided to return to Mansfield to join his wife, and consequently booked third class passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool.
Sometime after he booked his passage, but before he boarded the Lusitania, he wrote a letter to his brother-in-law, a Mr. Tomlinson, who resided in Wolstanton, which was reported in the Staffordshire Advertiser on the 15th May: -
“I have booked my passage and given up my job. While you are reading this letter I shall be on the stormy ocean, skipping out of the way of these submarines. Don’t worry, for I don’t think they will get me. I am going on the fastest boat I can get, so if there is a chance to run out of the way I shall be able to do it. I am sailing on the Lusitania on the 1st May, and all being well I shall be in England on the 6th of the month. The Germans have not sunk a passenger vessel yet, and I don’t think they will, for they are too well guarded for that. There are cruisers that meet the passenger vessels before they get to Ireland, and escort them into dock. Well, I am going to risk my neck, anyhow.”
Having arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in time for the liner’s 10.00am sailing, her departure was delayed until just before 12.30pm, as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from another liner, the S.S. Cameronia, which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for service as a troop ship.
Almost exactly six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, under the command of Kapitänleutnant W. Schweiger. At the time she was struck, she was twelve miles off The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and only about 250 miles from her home port. George Meaney was killed as a result of this action. He was aged 29 years at the time.
Whereas he knew of the dangers, he was mistaken in thinking that the Germans would not sink a passenger liner and that the Royal Navy would offer protection by meeting liners as they approached Ireland.
His body was one of those recovered from the sea, however, and after it had been landed at Queenstown, it was taken to the temporary mortuary set up in the yard of the Cunard offices at Lynch’s Quay, where it was given the reference number 45.
It would appear that he was identified as a result of the watch he was carrying with him, as stated in this article from the 15th May 1915 edition of the Staffordshire Sentinel: -
One of the Old Boys of the Roman Catholic Mixed School, Tunstall, named George Peter Meaney, is tabled in the list of victims of the Lusitania outrage. As a boy, his whole school career was spent here. He afterwards went to Mansfield, Notts., where he married. His widow is now in Mansfield. His possession of his grandfather’s watch, in which his name had been engraved, led to his identification.
Thus, having been positively identified, on 10th May 1915, he was buried in The Old Church Cemetery, about two miles north of the town in Mass Grave C, 4th Row, Upper Tier, where it lies to this day. It was on this day that the majority of the recovered dead were buried after a long funeral procession which began at Lynch’s Quay in the town.
On 4th June 1915, property recovered from his body was sent to his widow at their Mansfield home. This consisted of £57-7s-0d (£57.35p.), in British coinage, one gold
and one silver watch and chain – presumably the one that aided his identification, a bunch of keys, three pencils, two knives and a purse.
Registers of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, UK Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 – 1960, Cunard Records, Staffordshire Advertiser, Staffordshire Sentinel, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/8-10, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.