Hugh Hillhouse was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, in1886, the son of Luke
and Mary Elizabeth Hillhouse (née Threlfell). He was one of nine children, and his father was a butcher. In 1915, the family home was at 57, Argyle Street South, Birkenhead, Cheshire,
On completing his education, he found employment as a general labourer before joining the Mercantile Marine as a trimmer on steam ships operating out of Liverpool.
He engaged as a trimmer in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania before what proved to be her final voyage, and he was not amongst the survivors after the vessel sank on the 7th May 1915 on her return voyage to Liverpool. He was aged 28 years.
His body was not found and identified afterwards, and as a result, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine War Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 10th January 2024.