Harris Reginald “Huntley” Henderson was born Yonkers, New York, in the United States of America on the 27th October 1904, the son of Harris Reginald and Violet Alice Henderson (née Gower). His father, who came from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was a brakeman with a railroad company, while his mother was from London, England.
In October 1914, his father died in Montreal, Quebec, leaving his mother to raise him alone. After a few months, she decided to return to her family in England, and booked second cabin passenger for herself and Huntley on the May sailing of the
Lusitania, from New York to Liverpool. Travelling with them were Charles and Cora Yeatman from England. Cora Yeatman was a younger sister of his mother.
The party of four travelled from Montreal to New York in time to board the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in the port there, on the morning of 1st May 1915. She was scheduled to leave at 10.00 a.m., but was delayed because she had to take on board cargo, passengers and crew from her Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war service as a troop ship at the end of April.
The Lusitania finally left her berth at 12.27 p.m. and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine
U-20 within sight of The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and only about 250 miles away from her home port and destination.
Both Huntley and his mother survived this assault; however, his aunt Cora and her husband had perished. Having been rescued from the sea, Violet and Huntley were landed at Queenstown.
Both the bodies of Charles and Cora Yeatman were recovered from the sea and taken to one of the temporary mortuaries set up in Queenstown. Cora Yeatman’s remains were given the reference number 131, until identified by her brother-in-law Fraser Yeatman, who had come from Staffordshire to perform this unhappy task. No doubt Violet Henderson had also been present, so it is likely that she confirmed Fraser Yeatman’s identification, and she took possession of her sister’s personal effects before returning with her son to London.
Huntley and his mother moved to Bedford, Bedfordshire, where Huntley married Ida Florence Foulston Payne in 1925. The couple had 3 children, and Huntley worked as a clerk.
The family immigrated to Canada in 1928, accompanied by his mother, but later returned to Bedford, where they resided at 30. Castle Road, Bedford.
On the 14th January 1985, Huntley Henderson died in Bedford, aged 80 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1905 New York State Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1939 Register, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Probate Records, Bedfordshire England Electoral Registers 1832 – 1986, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.