There were a number of men with the name ‘Joseph McGovern’ serving in the British Mercantile Marine in 1915, and therefore identifying the one who was on the final voyage of the Lusitania has so far proved impossible.
A man named ‘Joseph McGowan’ engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, on the 12th April 1915, at a monthly rate of pay of £6-10s.-0d. (£6.50p.) and reported for duty on the morning of the 17th April before the liner left the River Mersey for the last time. It was not the first time that he had served on board in the capacity of fireman.
Having completed the liner’s crossing to New York without mishap, Fireman McGowan was still serving on board on the early afternoon of the 1st May, as the Lusitania left New York on the start of her return voyage 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. At that time, she was only about fourteen hours steaming time away from the safety of her home port.
Joseph McGowan was lucky enough to escape this action with his life, however and having been rescued from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown from where he eventually made it back to Liverpool. Once there, he was paid the balance of wages owed to him in respect of his time on board the Lusitania, which was counted from the 17th April until the 8th May 1915, 24 hours after the liner had gone down.
A photograph of him appeared in the 10th May 1915 edition of the Daily Mirror, depicting him with his left arm and hand heavily bandaged, and also a bandage covering his head, tied in a bow below his chin, indicting that he suffered a number of injuries as a result of his ordeal.
Nothing further is known about this man.
Cunard Records, Daily Mirror, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 19th December 2024.