Charles Harwood Knight, always known as “Harwood”, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States of America, on 20th September 1874, the son of Charles P. and Florence Knight (née Harwood). His family was wealthy, and he was of independent means. He was unmarried and was a long-term employee of a piano company in Baltimore.
In 1910, he and his elder sister Elaine had gone to Paris where they had taken an apartment and where he had studied the piano. In April 1914, they had returned to Baltimore, but by the spring of 1915, they decided to return to Paris, so that Harwood Knight could continue his studies. Thus, for the first part of their return, they booked saloon passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania through the firm of A. W. Robson, of Baltimore, which was probably a travel agent.
Having left Baltimore at the end of April, brother and sister travelled to New York and on 1st May 1915, they joined the liner, at Pier 54 in New York harbour for her 10.00 a.m. sailing. Their joint ticket was numbered 14347. Having boarded the liner, Harwood Knight was escorted to his saloon room, D32, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward William Fletcher who came from Wallasey, on the opposite side of the River Mersey from Liverpool. His sister was accommodated not far away, in room D35.
The liner’s sailing was delayed until the early afternoon as she had to embark passengers, some crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war work at the end of April. The Lusitania finally left port just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May; she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that point, she was twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland and only 250 miles hours away from her destination.
Both Harwood Knight and his sister were killed as a result of this sinking and as neither of their bodies was ever recovered and identified later, neither has a known grave. Harwood Knight was aged 40 years.
On 10th May 1915, the Cunard office in Queenstown received a cable giving a description of Harwood Knight, which stated: -
DESCRIPTION HARWOOD KNIGHT BLUE EYES LIGHT HAIR VERY BALD SMOOTH FACE 5 FT 8 INS SLIGHT BUILD 40 YEARS BROWN SPOT BACK OF HAND HAD 3 RINGS AND MONEY BELT.
Despite this fulsome description, however, nothing more was ever discovered of the Baltimore man.
Bedroom Steward Fletcher who had looked after Harwood Knight in room D32 did survive the sinking, however and eventually made it back to his Wallasey home.
After the War, Mrs. Millicent Harwood Hartt, a niece of Charles and Elaine, filed a claim for the property lost by Charles in the sinking. Millicent had been orphaned when she was aged 12 years, and Charles was her legal guardian. She lived with Charles and Elaine until her marriage on 12th March 1910 to John Philip Hartt. As Millicent was not
dependant on either Charles or Elaine, she was not entitled to claim compensation for their deaths, but as executrix of their estates was entitled to claim compensation for the loss of their property in the sinking.
The Mixed Claims Commission awarded her the full amount of her claim, which amounted to $1,750.00, for the loss of Charles’ possessions, there being no claim in respect of Elaine’s personal belongings.
1880 U.S. Federal Census, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 263 & 264, New York Times, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv. PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.