Kathleen Palmer was born in Penang, Straits Territories, then part of the British Empire, in 1874, the daughter of Francis Arthur and Melinda Palmer (née Smith). Her father was a civil servant, employed by the British government, and retired as the chief clerk of the Stamp Office in Penang.
In late 1914, or early 1915, her parents decided to retire to the United States of America, and Kathleen accompanied her father to North Augusta, South Carolina, with the intention of establishing their home there, however, they were unhappy with the climate and decided to travel to England with the intention of setting up home
there instead.
Consequently, they booked second cabin passage on what was to become the Lusitania's final voyage. Having left North Augusta, some time in April, they boarded the ship at her berth, at Pier 54 in New York port on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for her scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure. This was then postponed until the early afternoon whilst the liner loaded cargo and took on board passengers and crew from Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned as a troop ship at the end of April.
Six days later, Kathleen Palmer and her father were both killed when the liner was sunk off The Old Head of Kinsale, in southern Ireland by the German submarine U-20 - only about fourteen hours sailing time away from her Liverpool destination.
As neither of their bodies was never recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, neither has a known grave. Kathleen Palmer was aged 41 years at the time of her death.
Cunard Records, The Straits Times, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.