Michael Horrigan was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 19th October 1858, the son of Moses and Catherine Horrigan (née Conlon). He was the eldest of five children and his father was a police officer, who later became a labourer.
After leaving school, Michael became a labourer and then joined the Mercantile Marine as a fireman on steam ships.
On the 4th November 1894, he married Mary Ann Gillard in Liverpool, and they lived at 25, Aspinall Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool. They had no children.
Michael Horrigan engaged as a greaser in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, at a monthly rate of pay of £7-0s.-0d. and reported for duty on the 17th April 1915, before the liner left Liverpool landing stage for the last ever time to cross the Atlantic Ocean to New York.
Having carried out his duties successfully on the outward journey across the Atlantic Ocean to New York, Michael Horrigan was present on the early afternoon of the 1st May 1915, when the great liner left the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York for what would be her last voyage ever out of the port.
Six days later, on the afternoon of the 7th May, he was killed when the vessel was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, off the coast of southern Ireland and only about fourteen hours steaming time away from the safety of her home port.
His body was not recovered and identified afterwards, and consequently, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine War Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He was aged 56 years.
He is also commemorated on a memorial plaque in St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church, Great Mersey Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool, not far from where he lived.
In keeping with all crew members, Cunard paid Michael Horrigan up until the 8th May, 24 hours after the sinking and eventually, the balance of wages owing to him was forwarded to his widow, Mary Ann. The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited also granted a yearly pension to Mary Ann Horrigan to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £19-1s.-3d. (£19.06p.) which was payable at the rate of £1-11s.-10d. (£1.59p.) per month.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, Liverpool England Catholic Marriages 1754 – 1933, 1861 Census of England, 1871 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/65095, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, George Donnison, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 13th January 2024.