James Dwyer was born in Horeswood, Campile, County Wexford, Ireland, on the 26th April 1895, the son of David and Mary Dwyer (née Sullivan). His father was a
labourer, and it is not known how many siblings James might have had. His mother died in January 1897, and he was raised by his father and a paternal aunt, Mrs. Ellen Hogan, who was a widow.
It is not known when he immigrated to England, but by 1915, he lived at 252. Derby Road, Bootle, near Liverpool, Lancashire.
He engaged as a trimmer in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania at Liverpool on the 12th April 1915 for her last voyage from Liverpool, at a monthly wage of £6-0s.-0d., and he received an advance £1-0s.-0d. when he engaged. It was not the first time that he had served on the liner.
Aged 20 years, he was killed when the liner was sunk on 7th May 1915.
His body was not one of those recovered and identified afterwards and as a result, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
Cunard records erroneously give the name of a trimmer lost on the Lusitania as John Dyer, but the original Particulars of Engagement book held at the Public Record Office in Kew, Surrey, which every crew member signed when he engaged, clearly shows his signature to be James Dwyer. He is also shown as having been paid off from the liner’s final voyage, but it is likely that he was confused with Trimmer J. Dwyer who did survive.
Cunard obviously confused him either with Fireman John Dwyer or Trimmer James Dyer, both of whom survived the sinking.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Ireland Select Catholic Birth and Baptism Registers 1763 – 1917, 1901 Census of Ireland, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Grave Commission, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 28th March 2023.