Peter Manning was stated to have been born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England in 1877. In 1915, he lived at 181, Arlington Street, Liverpool and was a professional fireman in the British Mercantile Marine.
He engaged in this capacity in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, on the 12th April 1915, for what became her last voyage, 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 then reported for duty on the morning of the 17th April, before the liner left the River Mersey and her Liverpool home base, for ever. He had previously served on the Cunarder Carmania, no doubt in the same capacity.
The liner crossed the Atlantic Ocean without incident and having docked in New York on the 24th April 1915, she left there on the early afternoon of the 1st May, to commence her return to Liverpool. Then, six days later, on the afternoon of the 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only about 250 miles away from the safety of her home port.
Fireman Manning survived this sinking, however, and having been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, he eventually returned to Liverpool, where he was paid the balance of wages owing to him in respect of his time on board the Lusitania. This was counted from the 17th April until the 8th May 1915 - 24 hours after the liner had gone down, - and amounted to £4-14s.-0d. (£4.70p.). He was aged 38 years at the time of the sinking.
Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 17th October 2024.