Hugh Stevenson was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland in 1884. He was a carpet weaver, and the family home was at 2. Thread St., Paisley. Hugh’s father was lost at sea in 1885, and he was an only son. His mother was Mrs. Jemima “Jeanette” Stevenson (née Byron).
On the 25th April 1914, he had emigrated to the United States of America seeking work and fortune and originally travelled to a friend in Superior, Wisconsin, but later settled in Yonkers, New York, from where he sent a regular supply of money to his widowed mother back in Paisley.
By the spring of 1915, he had decided that it was his duty to return home to enlist, and consequently, he booked a third class passage for himself on the May sailing of the Lusitania and joined the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for her scheduled 10.00 a.m. sailing.
This was then delayed until the afternoon as 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. The Lusitania finally left port just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May; she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that point in her voyage, she was within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only 250 miles hours away from her Liverpool home port and destination.
Hugh Stevenson was killed as a result of this action. He was aged 31 years. As his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave.
Later on in the month, his mother in Paisley made a successful application for aid, to The Lusitania Relief Fund. This fund was set up after the sinking, by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other local dignitaries, to alleviate financial loss and distress amongst those second cabin and third class passengers who had survived and their relatives, if they had not. She had applied on the grounds that having enlisted; her late son would have given her a weekly allowance from his Army pay.
At the time, she was in receipt of £0-5-6d., (£0.27½p.), per week from the local parish and the Relief Fund awarded her an immediate grant of £1-0s-0d. and £0-5-0d., (£0.25p.), per week, which was to be reviewed after six months. In December 1915, the Committee reviewed Mrs. Stevenson’s case and increased her payments to £0-10s-0d. per week.
UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Daily Record, The Scotsman, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/376, UniLiv D92/2/11, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.