Thomas Handel Hawkins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England, on the 5th August 1887, the son of Thomas and Sarah Hawkins (née Taylor). His father ran a grocery shop at 226. Middleton Road, Oldham, and the family lived over the shop. In 1915, he lived at 17, Arkwright Street, Wermeth, Oldham, Lancashire, England.
Always known as “Handel”, he came from a musical family, which accounts for his forename, and as a youth, won a musical scholarship which allowed him to study for three years at Manchester University.
Following this, he decided upon a career as a shipboard musician and thereafter played the cello on most of the big trans-Atlantic liners. Later he joined the crew of the
Lusitania as a bandsman in the Orchestra.
On the morning of the 17th April 1915, he boarded the Lusitania as one of the bandsmen in the light orchestra when she left the River Mersey for the last time on her 201st Atlantic crossing. The Orchestra consisted of only five musicians and apart from Bandsman Hawkins, the others were, Bandmaster C.W. Cameron, Bandsman E. Carr-Jones, Bandsman E. Drakeford, and Bandsman J.W. Hemingway.
The liner crossed the Atlantic without incident and having docked in New York on 24th April 1915, eventually left there on the early afternoon of 1st May, for her return journey to Liverpool - with Handel Hawkins on board. Then, six days into the voyage, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Cunarder was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine
U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland. At that time, she was only about 250 miles away from the safety of her home port.
He survived the sinking and after being landed at Queenstown, was taken to The Imperial Hotel, (today named the Atlantic Inn) before returning to Oldham on Sunday 9th May. He was able to describe his experiences to a reporter of
The Oldham Standard which was published on Monday 10th May 1915. He stated: -
We had just finished playing for lunch and had gone aft to the bandmaster's room when there was a terrific thud. Someone looked at his watch and it was 2.10. We rushed on deck, where some of the women and children were crying and screaming. But there was no panic. I do not think that the people realised that the ship was going down.
We did what we could to get the boats lowered and the women and children into them. Soon afterwards I went into the first-class portion of the boat where I was given a lifebelt. Going to the starboard side I saw a boat being launched, and as there seemed few people about I thought I would take my chance and get into the boat.
The boat fell perpendicularly, and men, women and children were thrown into the sea. Most of them must have been drowned, as the Lusitania went down shortly afterwards. Along with three or four others I clung to the ropes for a time. Then freeing myself, I jumped off and swam away.
A short distance away I turned for a last look at the doomed ship. Hundreds of horror-stricken passengers were huddled together on the slanting decks. Women and children were crying for help that could not be given. There were no rescue ships about at the time, and those on deck were going to certain death.
As the vessel was heaving over women and children were falling into the sea. Others were clinging for as long as possible to anything they could reach. The sight of so many people going to their doom was sickening and I had to turn away before the boat went down altogether.
After swimming around for ten minutes or so and being passed by two lifeboats, he was eventually picked up by an overloaded boat and after initially lapsing into unconsciousness, eventually recovered sufficiently to return to the area of the sinking to look for any other survivors, before being landed at Queenstown. He had lost all his possessions including his cello.
The Orchestra consisted of only five musicians. Apart from Bandsman Hawkins, the others were, Bandmaster C. Cameron, Bandsman E. Carr-Jones, Bandsman G. Drakeford and Bandsman J.W. Hemingway.
Of the five members of the orchestra, only Hawkins, Drakeford and Hemingway survived, the other two were killed.
Despite the fact that Handel Hawkins was officially employed by The Cunard Steam Ship Company, he was not recognised as a seaman by the Board of Trade and when he joined the liner at Liverpool on 17th April 1915, he was allocated second cabin accommodation. Thus, although he was officially listed as a crew survivor in a list of those on board issued by Cunard in March 1916, this was a mistake which was officially rectified by the company in February 1917.
In the summer of 1915, he applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund, which had been set up after the sinking by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other local businessmen, for financial help, in replacing his cello, as he was obviously not able to earn a living without one. On 11th June 1915, he was granted the sum of £9-0s-0d which was sufficient to buy another.
Handel Hawkins married Irene Stott at St. Pauls Church, Oldham, on the 6th July 1920, and the couple had two daughters – Ida, born in 1921, and Dorothy, born in 1923. For many years they resided with his wife’s parents, Herbert and Vera Stott, at 226. Frederick Street, Oldham.
On the 31st July 1983, Handel Hawkins died in Oldham, aged 95 years. His wife had died just over three weeks before him, on the 7th July 1983.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Manchester England Church of England Births and Baptisms 1813 – 1915, Manchester England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1930, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1939 Register, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Oldham Standard, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.