Henry “Harry” Long was born in Bath, Somerset, England, in 1891, one of the sons of Edward James and Emma Long (née Tadd). At the time of his birth, his family were living at 8. Lansdown View, Bath, and Harry and his twin brother, Percy, were the youngest of fourteen children. While still a young child, the family moved to Yorkshire. His father was a wood turner, and later a greengrocer, and by 1915, the family home was at 65, Cordingley Street, Otley Road, Bradford.
After he left school, Harry Long worked for a garage owned by a Mr. Eric Myers, as a motor cycle mechanic, and in May 1913, he emigrated to the United States of America and joined his elder brother in the motor trade in Detroit, Michigan. He resided at 146. Gerald Avenue, Highland Park, Detroit.
In March 1915, his twin brother Percy died of pneumonia in Bradford and as a result Harry Long decided to return home to be with the rest of the family and managed to secure himself a good position with a Bradford motor firm.
As a consequence, he booked as a third class passenger on the Lusitania and having cabled his family in Cordingley Street to tell them of his intentions, he joined the ship before she left her berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour, just after mid-day on 1st May 1915. This was delayed from her scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure, as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Lines vessel the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned as a troop ship.
The cable he had sent proved to be his tragic last message, for when six days out of New York, the liner was torpedoed and sunk within sight of the coast of southern Ireland by the German submarine U-20. Harry Long was killed as a result of this action. He was aged 21 years.
A local newspaper, The Shipley Times & Express reported the fact that he was missing, not long after the sinking: -
His name has not appeared in any list of survivors and as no mention has been made of his having been discovered, the relatives have come to the conclusion that he has gone down with the boat. He was a good swimmer and had he been able to get clear of the doomed vessel, it is probable that he would have been saved.
He was travelling as a third class passenger. The relatives would esteem it a great favour if any survivor who saw him on board will communicate with his sister, Mrs. Wood, 55 Mount Street, Eccleshill.
No one ever came forward with any positive information, however, and no trace of his body was ever found and identified afterwards.
1915 was not a good year for the Long family, as a nephew of Harry Long also died in May 1915 and another brother, Private Albert Long serving on the Western Front, was first of all wounded in the head and then on his return to duty, was gassed at Hill 60, near Ypres in Belgium. He did survive the war, however.
In the summer of 1915, Harry Long’s father Edward successfully applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund, administered by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, for financial help in respect of the loss of his son. This fund had been set up immediately after the liner had gone down, by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other local business dignitaries to help second and third class passenger survivors and the relatives of those who had perished.
Eventually, the awards committee granted Mr. Long the sum of £0-3s-6d., (£0. 17½p.) per week, and on 20th August 1915 gave him a final payment of £5-0s-0d. At the same time, a Miss Jones, described as The mother of illegitimate child was granted the weekly sum of £0-6s-6d., (£0.32½p.). The Committee also pledged to pay £0-5s-0d per week to his child if it could be proven that Harry Long was the father. It is not recorded what the result was.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Bradford Daily Telegraph, Shipley Times & Express, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.