Owen Hughes was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 22nd June 1884, the son of Owen and Mary Ann Hughes (née Roberts). He was the older of two children, having a younger brother named David, and his father was a marine fireman in the Mercantile Marine.
After leaving school, he became a professional seaman by joining the Mercantile Marine as a trimmer and fireman on steam ships, as did his younger brother. Their mother died in 1906 and their father in 1909.
On the 12th December 1911, he married Hannah Atkinson (née Wilson), a 22-year-old widow, in Liverpool, and they lived at the family home, 57, Bevington Hill, Scotland Road, Liverpool, Lancashire. Hannah’s first husband, William Edward Atkinson, was also a mariner and was lost at sea sometime in 1911 while Hannah was expecting their second child. This child was born on the 20th December 1911, less than six weeks after she married Owen Hughes. She already had a daughter Mary Florence Atkinson, who was born in 1909.
Owen and Hannah Hughes had a daughter named Margaret, who was born in 1914.
Owen Hughes 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 morning of the 17th April, 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, Owen Hughes 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. He was aged 30 years, although he gave his age when joining the ship as being 27 years!
His body was not found and identified afterwards, and he has no known grave. As a consequence, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted an annual pension to Hannah Hughes to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £32-10s.-0d. (£32.50p.) which was payable at the rate of £2-14s.-2d. (£2.71p.) per month.
On the 14th January 1917, Hannah Wilson married Thomas Hall, a labourer, and had five more children. She died on the 8th September 1957 in Liverpool, aged 68 years.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Baptisms 1813 – 1919, Liverpool England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1935, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/66530, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 17th January 2024.