Matilda Hartley was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, on the 1st January 1876, the daughter of William Henry and Jane Hartley (née Potter). Her father was a labourer, and Matilda was one of eleven children. The family home was at 17, Elm Street, Oldham Road, Manchester, Lancashire, England.
On the 1st January 1902, she married Arthur Longdin at St. John’s Church, Miles Platting, Manchester, and they moved into Matilda’s family home at 17, Elm Street, Oldham Road, Manchester, where they resided with Matilda’s widowed mother. Her husband was an engineer, employed by Vickers Naval Construction Works in Barrow-on-Furness, and a member of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. The couple had no children.
In June 1913, Matilda and her husband boarded the Laurentic at Liverpool and immigrated to Canada, where they settled in Toronto, Ontario, where Arthur Longdin carried on with his trade of machinist, probably in the textile industry.
In the spring of 1915, however, the two of them decided to return to Manchester, perhaps because of the war in Europe and as a result, booked second cabin passage on the Lusitania for the crossing from New York to Liverpool. They left Toronto by rail at the end of April 1915 and arrived in New York in time to board the liner on the morning of 1st May 1915, for her last ever trans-Atlantic sailing, which began late just after mid-day, because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April.
Six days out of New York, the liner was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of southern Ireland, by the German submarine U-20 and only about twelve to fourteen hours away
from the safety of her home port. Both the Longdin’s were killed as a result of this action and although Arthur's body was never found and identified, that of Matilda Longdin was.
It was recovered from the sea within a week of the sinking at Castletownshend, about 30 miles around the coast from where the had liner foundered and having been landed at Queenstown, it was taken to one of the temporary mortuaries there where it was given the reference number 157 and described thus: -
Female 30 to 35 years, 5’ 8” high brown hair, strong build, 1 large white silk handkerchief around neck, plump face, blue serge dress and blue jacket, laundry mark L1205, white jacket over corset, heavy woollen combinations, button on jacket with figure of Lusitania. Green Velveteen belt with brass buckle and 4 green stones, landed from Castletownshend.
It was then buried in The Old Church Cemetery, just outside the town, in Mass Grave B, 6th Row, Upper Tier on 13th May 1915, where it lies today.
It is likely that it was not actually identified until July 1915, when Matilda Longdin’s father-in-law Mr. W. Longdin of 22, Egmont Street, Greenhill Road, Cheetham Hill, Manchester identified her from a photograph sent to his home address.
As it was necessary to bury all the recovered bodies as soon as possible, because they could not be hygienically stored in the increasing heat of May, they were all photographed in the temporary mortuaries in Queenstown before being buried. Anxious relatives of those missing were then invited to identify their loved ones through these photographs.
Once Mrs. Longdin’s identity had been established, property recovered from her body was sent to her brother, Mr. Arthur Hartley, at the Elm Street address, on 18th June 1915.
This included an imitation pearl necklace, a golf brooch a gold watch chain with a jade stone, a long light gold watch chain with one link broken, a lady’s gold Cossack watch with a white dial, a small brooch, a gold curb bracelet with a pig charm in jade, bearing a padlock, a gold bangle bracelet, a gold wedding ring, a gold knot ring, a gypsy ring with five rubies and a gypsy ring with a diamond and rubies.
Nearly two weeks earlier, on 6th June 1915, administration of her estate had been granted to another brother, James Henry Hartley, who was a commercial traveller. Her effects amounted to £272-13s-6d., (£272.67½p.).
She is also known to have had a married sister named Sarah Jane Evans.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Manchester England Church of England Births and Baptisms 1813 – 1915, Manchester England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1930, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, Cunard Records, Manchester Evening News, Liverpool Record Office, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/5, UniLiv D92/2/136, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.