Albert Ehrmann was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 15th April 1889, the son of Julius and Adeline Ehrmann (née Gough) of 114 Rimrose Road, Bootle, Lancashire. His father was a commercial traveller in the wines and spirits’ trade, who was born in Germany but had become a naturalised British subject in 1885. Albert had an older brother named Julius.
Whereas when Albert and Julius were born, their names were registered as “Ehrmann”, but their baptismal records and records in later life gave their name as “Hermann”.
In December 1900, he began training to be a career seaman when his father enrolled him on the Training Ship Indefatigable, a vessel that was permanently moored on the River Mersey and which was used to train young boys in seamanship. This eventually qualified him to become an able seaman.
On the 9th February 1910, at the age of 22 years, Albert Hermann married Elizabeth “Eli” Strain, at the Parish Church of St. Leonard, in Bootle. His new bride was aged 19 years. They set up home at 45, Moore Street, Bootle, where their first child, a son named Julian Albert was born on the 8th October 1910, followed by a daughter named Adeline Elizabeth, born on the 11th August 1913.
Albert Hermann signed on as an able seaman in the Deck Department on board the Lusitania at Liverpool on the 12th April 1915 at a monthly wage of £5-10s.-0d. (£5.50p.). He had sailed on the vessel before. At this time, the family was living at 38. Chelsea Road, Litherland, Lancashire.
He reported for duty at 7 a.m. on the morning of the 17th April, the day the liner left Liverpool for the last time, and he was killed when she was sunk, just three weeks later. As his body was never found and identified afterwards, his name is embossed on the Mercantile Marine War Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He was aged 26 years.
Cunard paid all seamen who were on board until the 8th May 1915, 24 hours after the Lusitania went down, irrespective of whether they had survived or not, and in August 1915, Eli Hermann received the sum of £5, from the company, which was the balance of wages owing to him.
The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted an annual pension to Eli Hermann to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £23-16s.-8d. (£23.83½p.) which was payable at the rate of £1-19s.-9d. (£1.98½p.) per month.
On the 18th October 1915, his widow married another merchant seaman, named Evan Williams in Liverpool. She had another five children by her second marriage.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, Liverpool England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1935, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, National School Admission Registers and Log Books 1870 – 1914, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/61930, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Thomas Derbyshire, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 8th January 2024.