John Crank was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, in 1881, the son of John Francis and Elizabeth Crank (née Witter). He was one of seven children and his
father’s occupation was described as being an “envelope cutter”!
On completing his education, John joined the British Mercantile Marine as a ship’s steward with the Cunard Steam Ship Company. He was later promoted to being a baggage master on trans-Atlantic liners.
On the 6th July 1908, he married Margaret Ellen at Liverpool registry Office, and they lived at 49A, Windsor Road, Tuebrook, Liverpool, Lancashire. They had two children, John, and Elizabeth Olga.
He engaged at Liverpool as Baggage Master in the Deck Department on the Lusitania on the 13th May 1915 at a monthly wage of £8-0s-0d, and he reported for duty at 7 o’ clock on the morning of the 17th April, in time for the liner’s last ever departure from the River Mersey.
Having completed the vessel’s journey to New York, he began her journey home with the rest of the passengers and crew on the afternoon of the 1st May 1915.
At about 2.00 p.m. on the 7th May, he visited Junior Third Officer Albert Bestic in his cabin to request his presence in the baggage hold to supervise the bringing up of luggage onto the deck. Such a move always required the presence of an officer and Bestic told him that he would join him as soon as he had changed out of his new uniform - only recently purchased in New York! The job - even of supervision, was always a dirty one.
There are two possible reasons why Crank had been ordered to bring up luggage from below. The first is that as the weather was fairly good at the time, luggage brought up on the Friday afternoon could safely remain on the deck and make the unloading of the vessel in the early hours of the following morning at Liverpool much quicker. The other, which it has never been possible to confirm after all this time, is that the ship, because of the eventually perceived threat from submarine attack, had been ordered to put into nearby Queenstown!
Not long after Crank’s conversation with Bestic, the Lusitania was struck by a torpedo fired by the German submarine, U-20, and all the baggage handlers, including Baggage Master Crank were killed as a result. The baggage hold was immediately above where the torpedo had struck, and it is presumed that the men there were either killed by the explosion or trapped between decks in the luggage cages and subsequently drowned when the liner sank. At the time, the liner was only twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her home port!
John Crank was aged 33 years and as his body was not found and identified afterwards, his name is embossed on the Mercantile Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
Albert Bestic, by his delay in changing uniforms, was still on the bridge deck when the Lusitania was struck and was thereby able to survive!
On the 12th July 1915, administration of John Crank’s will was granted to his widow at Liverpool. His effects amounted to £140-0s-0d. In addition, The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted a yearly pension to Margaret Crank which amounted to £80-6s-4d. (£80.31½p.), which was payable at the rate of £6-14s-9d. (£6.73½p.) per month.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1891 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UK Campaign Medals Awarded to World War I Merchant Seamen 1914 – 1925, Liverpool Echo, Seven Days to Disaster, Probate Records, PRO BT 351/1/30307, PRO BT 334, UniLiv. PR 13/24, Graham Maddocks, John Crank, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 21st January 2023.