Thomas Cain was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, in 1861, the son of Patrick and Mary Cain. He had been married to Julie Cain who predeceased him. In 1915, he lived at 13, Silvester Street, Liverpool.
He engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, on the 12th April 1915, at a monthly rate of pay of £6-10s-0d, (£6.50p.), £1-0s-0d of which was advanced to him at the time. His previous vessel had been the Cunarder S.S. Caronia. He reported for duty on board the Lusitania at 8 a.m. on the 17th April 1915, before the vessel left her home port for the very last time.
Having completed her last ever east to west crossing of the Atlantic, the Lusitania left New York on the early afternoon of the 1st May 1915, for her return voyage to Liverpool. She never made it; however, for on the afternoon of the 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine, U-20, off the Old Head of Kinsale, only about twelve to fourteen hours away from the safety of her home port. Fireman Cain was not listed as one of the survivors. He was aged 54 years.
His body was recovered from the sea, however, and before it was positively identified in one of Queenstown's temporary mortuaries, it was given the reference number 177. On the 14th May, it was buried in The Old Church Cemetery, Queenstown, in Mass Grave A, 6th Row, Lower Tier, where it lies today.
Despite the fact that he has an identifiable burial site, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was not aware of the fact and after the Great War, commemorated him on the Mercantile Marine Memorial to the Missing at Tower Hill, London.
However, once Graham Maddocks had established beyond doubt that he was buried in The Old Church Cemetery, the Commission agreed to erect a permanent memorial to him where he is buried, and this was done in November 1998.
It takes the form of a monument of Irish limestone, sited at the head of Mass Grave B, the centre one of the three. The names of crew members buried in the three mass graves are incised on two black granite panels on the memorial, with a legend in between them, which reads: -
1914 - 1918
IN HONOURED MEMORY
OF THOSE NAMED WHO,
SERVING ON THE
RMS LUSITANIA,
DIED WHEN THE SHIP WAS
SUNK BY ENEMY ACTION
ON 7 MAY 1915
AND ARE BURIED NEARBY
The name of Fireman Cain is incised on the left hand panel.
The Commission has also stated that should it ever be necessary to renew the panel bearing his name on the Tower Hill Memorial, his name would be omitted from its replacement.
In August 1915, his family received the balance of wages owed to him in respect of his sea service from the 17th April 1915 until the 8th May; 24 hours after the great ship had foundered.
Eventually, on the 29th October 1915, property taken from his body was handed over to his daughter, Miss M. Cain, at her home, 46, Potter Street, Great Homer Street, Liverpool. It consisted of a shaving brush, a brooch, three U.S. cent coins and a key.
Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/8-10, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 29th December 2022.