Peter Donnelly was born in Cornoonagh, Crossmaglen, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, on the 12th March 1894, the son of Peter and Judith “Julia” Donnelly (née McGinnis). His mother was a widow, who had previously been married to Peter English, and she had a son from her first marriage named Michael English. He had at least one brother named John, who was born in 1891.
It is not known when the family moved to Liverpool, Lancashire, England, but in 1914, his father died, and by 1915, the family home was at 271, Derby Road, Liverpool,
Lancashire.
In April 1915, Peter Donnelly, his older half-brother, Michael English, and his older brother, John, engaged as firemen in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania at Liverpool, at a monthly rate of pay of £6-10s.-0d. (£6.50p.), £1-0s.-0d. of which was advanced to them at the time. They reported for duty early on the morning of the 17th April; in time for the vessels last ever voyage out of the River Mersey.
Three weeks later, he, and his half-brother, Michael English, were fortunate to survive when the Cunarder was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her home port. He was aged 31 years. Unfortunately, his brother, John Donnelly, was not as lucky and was never seen again after the liner went down, and as his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial to The Missing, at Tower Hill, London.
Peter Donnelly returned to his home in Liverpool, where he no doubt delivered the sad news of his brother’s death to their mother. Nothing further is known about him.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UK Campaign Medals Awarded to World War I Merchant Seamen 1914 – 1925, PRO BT 350, PRO BT 351/1/37046, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated –20th March 2023.