Martha Maria Lakin, known as 'Polly' or 'Pattie', was born in Tipton, Staffordshire, England. On the 11th May 1873, the daughter of George and Mary Ann Lakin (née Sheldon), and she was christened in July 1873 at St. Thomas Church, Dudley, Worcester.
Her father was a carpenter and when she completed her education, she became a cook in domestic service.
On the 4th April 1913, she arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on board the Victorian from Liverpool. From there, she travelled overland to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where her niece, Mrs. Edith Mary Henn resided with her husband, Ernest George Henn.
In the spring of 1915, her niece and her husband decided to return to England, and Martha decided to return with them. Consequently, the party left Saskatoon on 24th April 1915, and travelling by Canadian Northern Railways, arrived at New York, on the 30th. On Saturday morning, the 1st May, they joined the Lusitania at the Cunard berth at Pier 54, as second cabin passengers. They then had to wait until the early afternoon before the liner left port, as she had to take on board passengers, crew and cargo from Anchor Liner Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship at the end of the previous month.
Then, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 off the southern coast of Ireland and only hours away from her destination and home port. Martha Smith was killed as a result of this action, she was aged 41 years.
Her body was eventually recovered from the sea, at Schull, County Cork, about 50 miles from where the liner had gone down, and taken to Queenstown where it was given the reference number 182, until it was identified by her nephew, Mr. George Fisher of ’Woodside’ 81, Barclay Road, Lightwood Hill, Birmingham, who was a brother of Mrs. Edith Henn. It was then described as: -
Miss Martha Maria Lakin ..... a woman about 34 years, single, height about 5’, features small, eyes light blue, brown hair, false teeth, an old scar extending an inch upwards
Dress. Blouse cream coloured, plaited front, trimmed with lace, blue serge skirt, black velvet waist belt, fastened with brass clasp, black silk stockings striped satin underskirt, brown leather laced boots soles worn, ¾ length knitted woollen jacket fastened with pearl buttons greenish colour, black fur toque with silver hat pin.
Jewellery. A thin chain round neck to which is attached a medallion containing a photo of a lady’s head and shoulders with a lock of hair at back, attached to front of blouse, a three horseshoe brooch with ivy leaves and a second brooch, a horseshoe and swallow, a chain bracelet fastened by locket on left wrist, on third finger of right hand a ring apparently gold with round centre and imitation diamonds.
Cunard records show that the body was then put in the charge of a Captain Dodd, who waited as long as possible before having it buried in The Old Church Cemetery, Queenstown, on 15th May 1915, in Mass Grave B, 6th Row, Upper Tier. Presumably, it had originally been intended to ship it back home to Tipton but it had to be buried for reasons of hygiene, perhaps before official authorisation arrived.
This problem was shown in a cable dispatched from Queenstown on 21st May 1915, no doubt in reply to an enquiry from Canada. This simply stated: -
BODY MISS LAKIN KEPT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE BY CAPT. DODD. NOW BURIED QUEENSTOWN.
Ernest and Edith Henn also perished in the sinking and both of their bodies were also recovered and similarly lie in The Old Church Cemetery today.
Another account in the Cunard archive in The Sidney Jones Library in Liverpool University states that the brother of Mr. Ernest Henn,
identified another victim, No. 132
in Queenstown. Victim number 132 was in fact saloon passenger Florence Wallace-Watson, travelling from Montreal Quebec, Canada, so it is much more likely, that this reference was a simple mistake and that the body he identified was really No 182, i.e. that of his sister-in-law’s aunt! In light of George Fisher’s identification, this is probably a mistake!
The property found on Martha Lakin’s body was initially held by Sergeant Patrick Lane of The Royal Irish Constabulary at Schull, but on 14th June 1915, was forwarded to George Fisher, at the Barclay Road address.
Another account supplied by relative, Mrs. Ann Lakin, of Aberdovey, Gwynedd, Wales, states ‘Pat’ Lakin worked for a titled family who travelled regularly to and from New York and at some time worked as a cook for the British Ambassador to the United States in Washington D.C.. This account further states that she owned several properties in Tipton, Staffordshire, and intended, upon her arrival in Great Britain, to divide them amongst her brothers and sisters, of whom there were at least six!
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, England Select Births and Christenings 1538 – 1975, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Saskatoon Times, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/8-10, UniLiv D92/2/36, UniLiv
D92/2/195, UniLiv PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Kenneth Henn, Ann Lakin, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.