Patrick John ‘Pat’ Hastings was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on 13th April 1871, the son of Michael and Mary Hastings (née Hester). He was the eldest of seven known children in the family and his father was a dock labourer.
When he was baptized into the Catholic Church on the 23rd April 1871, his name was recorded as “John Patrick Heston”, and it would appear that he used both the name “Hastings” and “Heston” throughout his life.
In 1915, he was residing at 63, Great Crosshall Street, Liverpool.
He engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, on the 12th April 1915, as Patrick Heston. As a fireman, his monthly rate of pay was £6-10s.-0d. (£6.50p.), £1-0s.-0d. of which was advanced to him at the time. He reported for duty at 8 a.m. on the 17th April 1915 in time for the liner’s last ever voyage out of the River Mersey. It was not his first voyage on the Lusitania.
Three weeks later, he was dead, killed after the liner was torpedoed and sunk within sight of the Irish coast and only hours away from her Liverpool destination. As his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave.
As a consequence, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London under his real name, John Patrick Hastings. He was aged just 44 years although when he engaged, he falsely stated that he was aged 40 years!
In August 1915, his family was paid the balance of wages owing to him in respect of his sea time on board the Lusitania. This time was reckoned from the 17th April 1915, the day that the steamer’s last voyage began, until the 8th May 1915, 24 hours after she had foundered.
A record of those known to have been on the ship when she sank, published by The Cunard Steam Ship Company in March 1916, states that he had served as Patrick Heaten, but this would appear to be a simple misreading of his signature at the time he engaged.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, P. Johnston, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 2nd January 2024.