Herbert Kesteven Harrison was born in Gosport, Hampshire, England, in 1875, the son of William Henry and Julia Harrison (née Duane). His father, who had been born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, was a professional soldier, and had retired as a Sergeant Major with the Army Hospital Corps. His mother was Irish, having been born in Fermoy, County Cork, and it is likely they had met and married while William was serving in Ireland with his regiment. The family home, from at least 1901, was at 3. Athol Terrace, Castletown, in the Isle of Man.
In 1890, Herbert, his parents, and a number of his siblings, had emigrated to the United States of America and settled in Chicago, Illinois, where some of Herbert’s older siblings had already emigrated to. At this time, he was found work as a grocer’s assistant.
His parents didn’t settle in Chicago, and decided to return to the Isle of Man, accompanied by Herbert, but in 1902, he returned to Chicago. In 1908, he returned home for a holiday.
On 24th April 1912, Herbert formally declared his intention to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, but never completed the process. In 1915, he lived at 5826, Erie Street, Chicago, with his three unmarried brothers and an unmarried sister. The house they resided in was the property of a married brother, Frank Edward Harrison, who was the most successful of the family. The rent he charged was much lower than the market value, which was his contribution to his siblings. By now, Herbert was employed as a driver and collector for a laundry company.
In the spring of 1915, he decided to return home for another visit to his parents and for the first part of his journey, he booked second cabin passage on the
Lusitania which was due to leave New York harbour on the morning of 1st May 1915.
Having arrived at the Cunard berth on that morning in time for the sailing, he had to wait until the early afternoon before the liner actually began her final voyage out into the North River and across the Atlantic Ocean. This was because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April.
Six days later on the afternoon of 7th May, Herbert Harrison lost his life after the liner was torpedoed and sunk just twelve miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in Southern Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool destination.
As his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 39 years.
At the time of his death, his parents were still living, and his four brothers and one sister were all residing in the Chicago area.
Some time after Herbert was killed; three members of his family filed a claim for compensation with the U.S. State Department. The three, Elizabeth Ann, Thomas, and Frank Edward, failed in their action, as they could not prove to any degree of satisfaction that any of them were dependant on their late brother. Herbert’s other two brothers, George D. and William, as British subjects, were not entitled to make a claim. The application was refused by the Mixed Claims Commission, which was responsible for all such claims made against Germany.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Isle of Man Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2201, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Lawrence Evans, Nyle Monday, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.