Neil Clyde was born in Carron, Stirlingshire, Scotland, on the 29th June 1859, the son of Neil and Annie Clyde (née Hamilton). At the time of his birth, his father was a police constable, and Neil was one of ten children in the family.
His family moved from their native Scotland to Liverpool, Lancashire, England, when Neil was very young, and his father found work as a railway porter.
In late 1885, Neil married Elizabeth Jones in Liverpool, and for a time the couple resided in Birkenhead, but by 1911, the family resided at 15. Berwick Street, Liverpool. The couple had seven children.
Neil was a professional seaman in the British Mercantile Marine and on the 12th April 1915, he 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.), £1-10s-0d. (£1.50p.) of which was advanced to him at the time. He reported for duty on board the liner at 7 a.m. on the 17th April before she left Liverpool Landing Stage for the very last time. It was not the first time that he had served on the vessel.
Having completed her voyage to New York, the Lusitania began her return on the 1st May 1915 and six days later, on the afternoon of the 7th May 1915, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine, U-20, within sight of the southern coast of Ireland and only 250 miles away from her home port.
Able Seaman Clyde survived the sinking and having been rescued from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown from where he eventually made it back to Liverpool. Some time after that, he was officially discharged from the Lusitania's final voyage and received the sum of £4-0s-8d. (£4.03p.), which was the balance of pay owing to him in respect of his service on the liner from the 17th April 1915, until the 8th May, 24 hours after the liner had been sunk. According to the Particulars of Discharge ledger, which all discharged seamen were required to sign, by the Board of Trade, Able Seaman Clyde was unable to sign, nerves.
In June and July 1915, he was called to give evidence at the official enquiry conducted into the sinking, chaired by
London. A photograph of him and five other crew member survivors appeared in the national press at the time.
Neil Clyde continued to serve with the Cunard Steamship Company for a number of years following his survival, most notably on the RMS Mauritania.
Neil Clyde died in Liverpool in late July 1935, aged 76 years, and was buried in Anfield Cemetery on the 2nd August 1935.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Scotland Select Births and Baptisms 1564 – 1950, England and Scotland Select Cemetery Registers 800 – 2016, 1861 Census of Scotland, 1871 Census of England, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, 1921 Census of England, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, UK Campaign Medals Awarded to World War I Merchant Seamen 1914 – 1925, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 351/1/25903, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 9th January 2023.