William Donovan was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 15th October 1883, the son of Humphrey and Emily Donovan (née McGrath). His father was a dock labourer, and the family home during William’s childhood was at 5. Raymond Street, Liverpool, by 1911 the family home was at 86, Titchfield Street, Liverpool. William was the second eldest of four known children in the family.
In both the 1881 and 1891 English Census records, his mother is recorded as residing in the family home, however, his father married Annie Irvine on the 18th August 1891 in Liverpool. No death record has been found for his mother between the recording of the census and his father’s second marriage, which resulted in nine children.
William had been in the Royal Navy, and had served on one of the earliest Royal Navy submarines, H.M.S. A4, before enlisting in the British Mercantile Marine
He engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, on the 13th 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. He reported for duty four days later, at 8a.m. on the 17th April; in time for the vessel’s last ever voyage out of the River Mersey.
He survived the sinking, three weeks later, when the liner was on the return leg of her voyage and only hours away from her home port. After some time in the sea, William Donovan was picked up and landed at Queenstown from where he eventually made it back to Liverpool.
Once home, he was officially discharged from the Lusitania‘s final voyage and paid the balance of wages awing to him for his service on board from the 17th April until the 8th May 1915, 24 hours after the liner had gone down. This amounted to £4-14s.-0d. (£4.70p.).
William Donovan continued to serve in the British Mercantile Marine, and on the 18th September 1917, while in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force with the intention of fighting in the War. He was deemed unfit for service due to deafness when he underwent a medical examination on the 22nd September 1917.
William Donovan died in a Liverpool Workhouse Infirmary on the 7th February 1919, aged 35 years, one of the many victims of the great influenza pandemic which lasted from 1918 to 1920. He was buried in grave 362 at Ford Cemetery, Litherland, Liverpool, on the 13th February 1919. At the time of his death, he was engaged as a fireman on the cargo vessel Australpool, which sailed regularly from Great Britain to Australia and the Far East. He was unmarried.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, Liverpool England Catholic Burials 1813 – 1985, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Australia Applications to Enlist in the AIF 1915 – 1918, Liverpool Workhouse Registers 1915 – 1920, Ships of the Royal Navy, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 350, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated –22nd March 2023.