Mabel Kate Symonds was born in St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia, on the 23rd June 1869, the daughter of Joseph and Catherine Margaret Symonds (née Stilwell).
On the 22nd February 1896, she married Charles Alfred Learoyd in St. Kilda. Her husband was a wool merchant and the couple lived for a time in Sydney, New South Wales. It was here, on the 4th September 1900, that their only child, a son named Ronald Hilton Douglas Learoyd, always known as ‘Douglas’, was born. Charles Learoyd’s work took him all over the world and eventually the family moved to England, residing at 130, Brompton Road, London, although they travelled frequently back to Australia.
On the 17th March 1911, while the family were returning to England from Australia on board the s.s. Malwa, Douglas Learoyd died after undergoing surgery on board to remove his appendix. He was aged 10 years.
In 1914, Charles and Mabel Learoyd had been to Sydney, in New South Wales, and for
their return to Great Britain, which obviously began in the Pacific Ocean, they travelled from Australia to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from where they travelled to Toronto, Ontario, where Charles Learoyd had business to attend to, and where they stayed for a while. They were accompanied on their travels by Mrs. Learoyd’s maid, Miss Margaret Hurley.
Setting out from Toronto at the end of April 1915, they arrived in New York in time for the Lusitania’s May sailing, which was due to begin on the morning of 1st May. After staying at The Baltimore Hotel, in New York City, they joined the liner at her berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour, on that morning. Having boarded with ticket number 46123, they were escorted to their saloon accommodation in room D57, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Edwin Huther, who came from Liverpool. Margaret Hurley was given room B82.
The Lusitania’s sailing was then delayed, to embark passengers, some crew and cargo from the Anchor Lines ship the S.S. Cameronia which had been requisitioned work by the British Admiralty for war at the end of April. She actually left New York just after noon and just six days later, on 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk twelve miles off the southern coast of southern Ireland by the German submarine U-20. At that time, she was only hours away from her home port of Liverpool.
Although her husband Charles was killed as a result of the sinking, both Mrs. Learoyd and her maid, Margaret Hurley, survived, probably because they were able to get into one of the few lifeboats which was successfully launched. After being rescued from the sea, Mrs, Learoyd was landed at Queenstown from where she eventually managed to reach her Brompton home.
It was there, later in the year, that she took delivery of property recovered from her husband’s body. In mid-July 1915, it was washed up on Valentia Island about 90 miles from the great liner had been sunk and buried nearby. The property recovered had no doubt helped to identify him. Mabel Learoyd had a headstone was erected on his grave which survives to this day. It consists of a large stone cross mounted on three square stone blocks, and the inscription states: -
SACRED
TO THE MEMORY OF
CHARLES ALFRED LEAROYD
OF SYDNEY AUSTRALIA
WHO LOST HIS LIFE BY THE SINKING OF
THE LUSITANIA,
MAY 7TH 1915
The headstone is in excellent condition, although the cross is known to have toppled in recent years and was repaired and replaced by local people.
Bedroom Steward Huther, who had looked after the Learoyds in room D57, also survived the sinking, and eventually made it back to his Liverpool home.
In later years, Mabel resided at Franzido Palace, 15. Boulevard du Jardin Exotique, Monte Carlo, Monaco, with her maid, Margaret Hurley, who was by now her close companion. Mabel Learoyd died in Monaco on the 24th July 1943, aged 74 years.
On the 29th July 1946, administration of her will was granted in London to Gerald Tooth, solicitor, and attorney for Maurice Keating and Charles Humphrey Woolrych, and her effects amounted to £8,387-9s-7d., (£8.387.48p.).
Australia Births and Baptisms 1792 – 1981, 1911 Census of England & Wales, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1915, U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to U.S. 1895 – 1960, Cunard Records, Daily Record, The Sydney Morning Herald, Probate Records, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/330, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Lawrence Evans, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.