Bernard O'Neill was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 29th October 1895, the son of Edward and Bridget O'Neill (née Warner). His father was a dock labourer, and Bernard was one of five children in the family, although only he, and his older sister, Margaret, survived infancy. In 1915, the family home was at 4, Sand Street, Liverpool, Lancashire.
It is not known if he was a professional seaman, but he engaged as a trimmer in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania on the 12th April 1915 at Liverpool at a monthly wage of £6-0s.-0d., and was killed when she was sunk on her way back from New York on the 7th May 1915.
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. He was aged only 19 years at the time.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Grave Commission, 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 – 29th January 2025.