Herbert James Hector Ellis was born in Islington, Middlesex, England, on the 18th October 1869, the son of Alfred James and Elizabeth Ann Ellis (née Cook). His father was a post office worker, and the family home was at 60. Baxter Road, Islington.
On the 26th November 1893, he married Mary Ann Robinson in St. Matthew’s Church, Islington, and in 1915, the family home was at 38, Morrison Avenue, Tottenham, London. The couple had one child, a son named Herbert Charles, who was born in October 1894.
Herbert was employed by Gorer & Son, of 170 New Bond Street, London. This company, founded by Solomon Gorer and his son, Edgar, dealt with furniture, especially display cases, and Chinese porcelain. As well as assisting in the business, Herbert was also a valet to Edgar Gorer, and from 1909, accompanied his employer on frequent visits to New York City, where the company also had a premises.
On the 16th January 1915, he boarded the Lusitania at Liverpool, as did Edgar Gorer, and on disembarking in New York City, he spent almost four months working with his employer in that city.
For his return to England in the spring of 1915, he was booked by his employer as a second class passenger on the May sailing of the Lusitania, while his employer, Edgar Gorer, travelled in saloon class. Having boarded the vessel on the morning of 1st May, in time for her scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure, they had to wait until just before 12.30 p.m., before she actually left the Cunard berth at Pier 54 on the west side of the city. This was while she took on board passengers, cargo and some crew from Anchor Liner Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned as a troop ship.
Then, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20, twelve miles off The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and sank in just eighteen minutes! At that stage of her voyage, she was a mere twelve or fourteen hours away from the safety of her Liverpool destination.
Herbert Ellis was one of nearly 380 second cabin passengers to lose their lives as a result of this torpedoing, although his body was actually recovered from the sea and landed at Queenstown, where it was taken to one of the temporary mortuaries set up there immediately after the sinking and given the reference number 139. He was aged 45 years at the time of his death.
Once it had been positively identified; however, his body was embalmed - which was unusual for a second cabin passenger’s body - and on 14th May, it was put on board the steamer S.S. New York, for shipment to the city of the same name where it was eventually delivered to 305, 55th Street, which was the address of Gorer & Sons premises in New York City.
On 20th May, probably whilst his body was still in transit, a cable was received at the Cunard office at Liverpool which stated: -
AMERICAN CONSUL HERE AUTHORISED DESPATCH BODY ELLIS TO NEW YORK. GORER 170, NEW BOND STREET LONDON WILL GIVE YOU INSTRUCTIONS RE DISPOSAL.
Because Herbert Ellis had no family in New York, once it had arrived there, Cunard officials queried if it really should have been sent. This query brought forth the response on 29th May from the Liverpool office: -
REGARDING BODY HERBERT ELLIS INSTRUCTIONS RECEIVED YOU BURY HIS BODY IN N.Y. FORWARD US FULL PARTICULARS PLACE BURIAL ETC..
Consequently, on 3rd June 1915, his body was interred in The New York Bay Cemetery, Jersey City, New Jersey, in the Cunard Plot, in Grave 1, Lot 29, Section Q South. Another British Lusitania second cabin victim Miss Mary Wright was buried nearby twelve days later, in Grave 4.
The cost of Herbert Ellis’s funeral was later presented as follows: -
Expenses Incidental to Burial of W.H. Ellis (sic)
June 3. Wagon to Cemetery $5.00
Coach Hire 5.00
Donation to Minister 2.00
Bringing remains from NY. Ferrages
& Expenses 5.00
Custom House Papers 3.00
Opening Grave 6.00
Services of Man 2.50 $28.50
The initial funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs. York and Swift, of 352 East 145th Street, New York, but the actual burial was conducted by Messrs. Thomas Hughes of 260, Warren Street, New Jersey.
Apparently, a great error had been made in sending Herbert’s remains to New York for burial as his family issued court proceedings in Tottenham, London, seeking payment of his life insurance policy, which he had taken out with the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society. Cunard officials admitted that there had been a misunderstanding between their company and the American Embassy. It would appear that no effort was made to repatriate Herbert Ellis’ remains once the error had been discovered.
On 25th June 1915, property recovered from his body, which had identified it, was forwarded to her at the Tottenham address. It consisted of a silver watch and chain, a gold ring, five gold sovereigns, one half sovereign, a £5 Bank of England treasury note, numbered 89/A 96572, an identification card, a pocket book and some papers.
Edgar Gorer also perished, but unlike Herbert Ellis, his remains were never found, or if they were, they were never identified.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, London England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1932, 1871 Census of England & Wales, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, The People, PRO BT 100/345., UniLiv.D92/1/8-10, UniLiv D92/2/160, UniLiv.PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.