John Anderson was born in Norway in 1848, the son of Anders Knudsen and his wife whose name is unknown. Nothing is known about his family except that his father was a mariner and John’s surname, as is common in Scandinavia, was derived from his father’s forename.
John followed his father in becoming a professional seaman and whereas it is not known when he came to England, he settled in Liverpool, Lancashire.
On the 3rd November 1886, he married Mary Fitzpatrick in Liverpool and the couple had at least three children – Thomas Henry, born in 1896, John Jacob, born in 1900, and James, born in 1902. In late September 1908, his wife died.
On the 4th December 1910, John married for a second time in Liverpool, his second wife being Theresa Donafey. The couple had no children but lived with his children from his first marriage. The family resided at 9. Paulton Street, Toxteth Park, but later moved to 25, Gray Street, Bootle, Liverpool.
In late March 1915, Theresa Anderson died, leaving John widowed for a second time.
On the 12th April 1915, John Anderson engaged as an able seaman in the Deck Department on board the Lusitania, at a monthly rate of pay of £5-10s-0d., (£5.50p.). He reported for duty on board the liner at 7 a.m. on the 17th April before she left the River Mersey for the very last time. It was not the first time that he had served on the vessel.
Having completed the first leg of her voyage to New York, he was killed on the afternoon of the 7th May 1915, when she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 within sight of the southern coast of Ireland and only hours away from her home port. He was aged 57 years.
As his was not recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave and as a result, is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, to the Missing of The Mercantile Marine, in London.
In August 1915, he was officially discharged from the Lusitania's final voyage and the guardians of his sons received the balance of pay owing to him in respect of his sea service from the 17th April 1915 until the 8th May, 24 hours after the liner had been sunk.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Marriages, and Banns 1813 – 1921, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 5th December 2022.