Harry Arthur Smith was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in 1876, the son of Benjamin Birley and Martha Smith (née Webster). At the time of his birth, his father was a draper’s assistant, but by the early 1900’s; he had opened his own drapery shop. Harry was one of six children and the family home for many years was at 23. Brierley Street, Nottingham.
On completing his education, Harry became a draper’s assistant in his father’s company which was situated at the New Bradford Warehouse in Greyfriar Gate, Nottinghamshire.
In 1907, he married Maggie Rose Holwell in Nottingham, and the couple initially established their home at 76. Sneinton Dale, and later 7. Sandringham Road, Nottingham. They had no children
On the 17th March 1913, Harry Smith arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on route to Toronto, Ontario, where he had secured a position as a dry goods salesman.
In the spring of 1915, he decided to return to Nottingham. There are differing accounts for his reason for returning home, one source stating he was returning for a holiday, while another states he was travelling to visit his mother, who was ill.
Whatever his reason, he booked second cabin passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool, and having left Toronto by rail, he arrived in New York City in time to board the liner at Pier 54 in New York harbour for her schedule departure.
The liner’s departure for Liverpool was actually delayed until the early afternoon, so that she could take on board passengers, cargo and crew from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war work as a troop ship at the end of April.
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland by the German submarine U-20, and sank just eighteen minutes later. At that stage of her voyage, she was only 250 miles from the safety of her home port. Harry Smith lost his life as a result of this action and his body was not recovered from the sea, or if it was, it was not identified. As a result, he has no known grave. He was aged 38 years.
At the time of his death, his wife was stated to have been the head of M. Smith & Co., frilling and neckwear manufacturers, of Mount Pleasant, Nottingham.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Nottingham Evening Post, UniLiv D92/2/258, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.