Elaine Harwood Knight was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States of America, on the 7th January 1873, the daughter of Charles P. and Florence Knight (née Harwood). Her family were very wealthy and Elaine was of independent means.
In 1910, she and her younger brother Charles Harwood Knight, known as “Harwood”, had gone to Paris where they took an apartment and spent the next four years. 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. Consequently, they booked as saloon passengers on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool, through local agents A. W. Robson, of Baltimore, on the first part of their return journey.
Having left Baltimore at the end of April and travelled to New York, on the morning of 1st May 1915, they joined the liner, at Pier 54 in New York port. Their joint ticket was numbered 14347. Having boarded the steamer, Elaine Knight was escorted to her first class room, D35, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Edwin Huther who came from Liverpool. Her brother was accommodated nearby in room D32.
The liner’s 10.00 a.m. sailing was delayed until the early afternoon, however, as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April. The Lusitania finally left the port just after noon.
Just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, both sister and brother were killed when the steamer was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her destination. As neither of their bodies was ever recovered and identified afterwards, neither has a known grave.
On 10th May 1915, the Cunard office in Queenstown received a cable giving a description of her which stated: -
SISTER TO HARWOOD. BLUE EYES AUBURN HAIR. STRAIGHT NOSE 5 FT 5 INS SLIGHT BUILD 45 YEARS SMALL AMETHYST RING PORCELAIN FILLING RIGHT FRONT TOOTH GOLD FILLING.
Although this description, states her age to be 45 years, a final listing of passengers lost, compiled in 1916 is normally found to be the most reliable source and this shows her true age to have been 41 years when she died.
Bedroom Steward Huther who had looked after Elaine Knight in room D35 also perished in the sinking, and never saw his Liverpool home again.
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, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, 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.