Owen Connelly was born in Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 29th August 1863, the son of Owen and Margaret Connelly (née Gavin). His father was an iron furnace man, and when Owen Jr. was in his early teenage years, he also worked as a labourer in the same iron foundry.
In July 1888, Owen Connelly had been dismissed from his position at the Clyde Ironworks near Glasgow, and on the 20th August, had been confronted by a watchman named Wallace, who ordered him off the road leading to the works. A scuffle occurred between them, and Connelly pushed Wallace down an embankment which resulted in Wallace falling over a retaining wall and striking his head on the hard ground. Wallace died instantly and Owen Connelly was charged with his murder. In October 1888, he was tried and the charge of murder against him was reduced as it was submitted that there was an absence of intent to kill or seriously injure Mr. Wallace, and he was sentenced to three months imprisonment.
On his release from prison, he immigrated to the United States of America, where he settled initially in Hampden, Massachusetts, but later moved to New York City.
On 5th October 1892, he married Delia Fitzpatrick, an Irish immigrant, in Manhattan, New York City, where they had seven children, Margaret, born in 1893, Mary, born in 1895, Annie I., born in 1897, Owen, born in 1898, Nora, born in 1903, Andrew, born in 1905, and Francis Augusta, born in 1909. They lived at 337 East 95th St., in New York City, but while in England, Owen resided at 46, Leonard Street, Liverpool, Lancashire. By this time, he was a professional engine room man in the British Mercantile Marine, working on trans-Atlantic liners.
Consequently, at Liverpool on the 12th April 1915, he engaged as a trimmer in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, for what would be the liner’s last ever voyage to America and he reported for duty at 8 a.m. on the 17th April, the day she left the River Mersey for the last time. As a trimmer, his monthly rate of pay was £6-0s.-0d. and upon engagement, he was given an advance on his pay of £1-0s.-0d.
Having completed the liner’s crossing to New York without mishap, Owen Connelly was still serving on board on the early afternoon of the 1st May, as the Lusitania left New York on the start of her return voyage to Liverpool. Then, six days into the voyage, on the afternoon of the 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine, U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland. At that time, she was only about fourteen hours steaming time away from the safety of her home port. Trimmer Connelly lost his life as a result of this action. He was aged 51 years.
His body was not recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, and as a consequence, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
In August 1915, his widow, Delia, was paid the balance of wages owed to him, in respect of his service on the Lusitania’s last voyage, which was reckoned to be from the 17th April 1915, until the 8th May, 24 hours after the vessel had gone down! In addition, The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted a yearly pension to Delia Connelly to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £53-10s.-3d. (£53.51p.), which was payable at the rate of £13-7s.-7d. (£13.38p.) per quarter.
After the war, his widow, Delia, and their children, Mrs. Margaret Ernest, Mrs. Mary O’Brien, Mrs. Annie I. Monahan, Owen, Nora, Andrew, and Francis, filed a claim with the U.S. State Department for compensation for the loss of Owen Connelly’s life. It transpired that whereas Owen Connolly declared his intention to become a naturalized citizen of the United States in May 1906, he never completed the process, and therefore remained a British subject at the time of his death, as did Delia.
The Mixed Claims Commission, in considering the claim, decided that Delia was not entitled to any compensation from them as she was a British subject at the time of her husband’s death, nor were Margaret, Mary, Annie, and Owen, as they were not dependant on their father at that time, also. The Commission did, however, award the sum of $1,000.00, each, to Nora and Andrew, and $1,500.00 to Francis, as they were proved to be dependant on their father at the time of his death.
Scotland Select Births and Baptisms 1564 – 1950, New York U.S. Extracted Marriage Records 1866 – 1937, 1871 Census of Scotland, 1881 Census of Scotland, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, New York U.S. Naturalization Records 1882 – 1944, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 4065, Aberdeen Free Press, Glasgow Evening Post, The Scotsman, PRO BT 334, UniLiv. PR 13/24, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Lawrence Evans, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 14th January 2023