Harry Grisdale was born in Seaforth, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 3rd May 1888, the son of Joseph and Annie Grisdale (née Kent). He was the youngest of three children, having older brothers named John and James, and at the time of his birth, his father was described as a dock board official, but later as a hydraulic crane worker, and the family home was at 28. Date Street, Seaforth.
After leaving school, Harry joined the Mercantile Marine, serving as a waiter on passenger ships operating out of Liverpool.
On the 12th November 1912, he married Elizabeth Valerina Powell in Liverpool. In 1915, the family lived at 12, Gladstone Road, Seaforth, near Liverpool. Harry was an active freemason and a member of Liverpool Derby Lodge No. 724.
He was employed as Library Steward in the Steward's Department on board the Lusitania and engaged at Liverpool on the 12th April 1915. His monthly rate of pay was £4-5s.-0d. (£4.25p). He joined the ship at 7 a.m. on the 17th April, before she left the River Mersey for her date with destiny. He had served on her before in the same capacity.
Having completed her last ever east to west crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, the Lusitania left New York on the early afternoon of the 1st May 1915, for her return voyage to Liverpool. However, on the afternoon of the 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 off The Old Head of Kinsale, only about twelve to fourteen hours away from the safety of her home port.
After the ship began to sink, Henry Grisdale stayed on board almost to the last and shortly before she went down; he gave his lifebelt to one of the stewardesses. The list to starboard then caused him to slide overboard and he was lucky enough to fall into a boat full of survivors. The occupants of this boat then began to row towards the shore and after some four hours, they were picked up by the tug Stormcock and landed at Queenstown. Along with other survivors, he was then interviewed by correspondents of The Manchester Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. A copy of his interview was later syndicated and appeared in The Cheshire Daily Echo of the 8th May 1915. It was reported: -
The library steward of the Lusitania during an interview, in relating his sad story, said the Cunarder had between 1,300 and 1,400 passengers and a crew of 750 men on board. Amongst them were crowds of Americans including Mr. Vanderbilt and a host of prominent people belonging to the United States.
"Today", he continued, "when ten miles south-west of Kinsale, the passengers were at luncheon and were in the best of spirits, chattering merrily, when an awful explosion rudely shocked them. They did not know what had happened, and quickly rushed from their seats.
They soon learned, however, that a German submarine had sent two torpedoes into them. One of them had entered the stokehold and the other had burst into the hull in the forward part of the vessel.
Captain Turner and the other officers tried to pacify the frightened passengers but their efforts failed, and water pushed into the Cunarder and she sank within fifteen minutes. There were five babies in their mothers' arms - a pitiful sight. The torpedo struck the Lusitania on the starboard side, over to which she listed.
The passengers were frantic to save their lives. The order to launch the boats was given, but in lowering them the ropes of some caught and the fastenings of others broke. One of the boats fell into the water. Many of the passengers had got into the boats but others had placed lifebelts around
their waists and fell into the sea and were subsequently picked up by the floating boats. Upwards of 100 of the passengers were floating in the water, kept afloat by life-preservers. The ten boats saved about 500 altogether.”
The steward added that the Stormcock approached several of the boats and picked off them 100 passengers after being on the water six hours which were spent in anguish and great misery. There was an awful loss of life but how many, he as unable to say.
He finally arrived back home in Seaforth on the morning of Sunday, the 9th May and was eventually officially discharged from the Lusitania, and given the balance of wages owing to him, which amounted to £4-9s.-6d. (£4.47½p.). In keeping with all the members of the crew, whether they survived or not, Library Steward Grisdale was paid up until the 8th May, 24 hours after the ship had sunk.
Harry Grisdale continued to serve as a library and smokeroom steward on trans-Atlantic liners for many years after surviving the sinking of the Lusitania, although he worked for a period as a wages clerk for Harland & Wolff in Bootle at the end of the war.
He died at Crosby, Liverpool, on the 13th September 1945, aged 57 years. His address at the time of his death was 92. Hatton Hill Road, Litherland, Liverpool. He was buried in Bootle Cemetery, Liverpool, on the 18th September. On the 7th November 1945, administration of his estate was granted to his widow Elizabeth Valerina Grisdale, and his effects amounted to £862-11s.-6d. (£862.57½p.).
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Baptisms 1813 – 1919, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, 1921 Census of England, 1939 Register, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, Bootle Times, Liverpool Echo, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 348, PRO BT 349, PRO BT 351/1/55266, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Cuthill, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 27th December 2023.