James Lord Collins was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 28th April 1893, the son of William Frederick and Deborah Collins (née Jaques). His father was a plumber. His father died in 1898, and his mother in 1908, and in 1915, he was residing with his married sister, Mrs. Mary Alice Turfin and her family at 36, Fernie Street, Toxteth, Liverpool.
He engaged as a trimmer in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania at Liverpool, on the 14th April 1915 for what would be the liner’s last ever voyage to America and reported for duty at 8 a.m. on the 17th April, the day she left the River Mersey. As a trimmer, his monthly rate of pay was £6-0s.-0d. and upon engagement, he was given an advance on his pay of £1-0s.-0d. He had previously served on the S.S. Aidan.
Having completed the liner’s first part of her return trip to New York, he was still serving on board when she set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean back to Liverpool. On the afternoon of the 7th May 1915, whilst in sight of the coast of southern Ireland, he lost his life when the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine, U-20. At that stage of her voyage, she was only hours away from docking.
As his body was not recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave and as a result, is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine War Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He was aged 22 years.
In August 1915, his family was paid the balance of wages owing to Trimmer Collins, which represented his service on the Lusitania from the 17th April until the 8th May 1915; 24 hours after the liner had been sunk.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Baptisms 1813 – 1919, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 350, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 12th January 2023.