John “Johnny” Davies was born at Dylynog, near St. Asaph, Denbighshire, North Wales, in 1853, the son of John and Ann Davies. Nothing is known of his family or
childhood, but he settled in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, at some point in his life.
He became a professional seaman, serving in the British Mercantile Marine as a fireman on steam ships.
By 1915, he was living at 6, Malta Road, Bootle, Liverpool, with the family of his late uncle, Peter Davies, who was a retired marine fireman, and who died in 1912.
He joined the Lusitania as a trimmer in the Engineering Department for what would be her final voyage, sailing out of Liverpool on the 17th April 1915. His monthly rate of pay as a trimmer was £6-0s.-0d., and he had £1-0s.-0d. of this advanced to him when he engaged. Having successfully reached new York on the 24th April, he was still on board when she set sail on the return leg of her voyage and was killed after the liner was torpedoed on the 7th May, when the liner was off the coast of southern Ireland. He was aged 62 years.
His body was never recovered and identified afterwards and as a consequence, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London. After the War, Trimmer Davies’ family received the British War Medal and Mercantile Marine Medal which were awarded posthumously to him. They are in the hands of a private collector today.
A Cunard list of particulars of crew engagements held in the Public Records Office states his age on engagement to be 58 years, but the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, taken from family supplied information are more likely to be accurate in this instance.
1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Liverpool Daily Post, 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 –12th February 2023.