Walter McLean was born in Portmadoc, Caernarvonshire, Wales, in 1883, the son of Robert and Jane Ann McLean (née Jones) of Bank Place, Portmadoc, Caernarvonshire. He was the sixth eldest of twelve children, and his father was a draper.
On completing his education, Walter worked in the drapery business with his father, before opening his own drapery shop in Cricklewood, London. He closed this business to work with T. Eaton & Company, a large Canadian drapery firm, and within a year, was promoted to being manager of their store in Manchester, Lancashire., before being appointed the manager of their business in Paris, France.
In 1912, he married Margaret Roberts in Liverpool, and they lived at 66, Crawford Avenue, Sefton Park, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, which was the home of his
wife‘s parents. Walter commuted between Liverpool and Paris, and made frequent trips to Canada, and other destinations around the world in the course of his business.
In October 1914, he left England and travelled to Toronto, Ontario, via New York City. After conducting business at the company head office, he had continued on to Japan on further business. In March 1915, he commenced his journey home from Japan. He sailed from Yokohama to San Francisco, California, and then travelled overland to New York City. He was booked as a saloon passenger on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool. This sailing, which was to become the liner’s last voyage across the Atlantic, was scheduled to leave the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York on 1st May. His ticket, (number 46149), was booked through his employers, T. Eaton and Company, of 45, East 17th Street, in the city.
He joined the liner on the morning of 1st May and once on board, was allocated berth 2 in room D59, which he shared with a Mr. Fred McMurtry, a fellow Briton. McMurtry had also booked his ticket, (although with a different number) through T. Eaton and Company, as he also worked for the company, and it is likely that both men knew one another for some years. The room came under the responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Edwin Huther who came from Liverpool.
Walter McLean was killed just six days later, after the liner was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 off the southern coast of Ireland and only hours away from the safety of her home port.
After the news that he was missing reached Wales, his brother Mr. J.C. McLean, who was the organist at the Tabernacle Chapel in Aberystwyth, Caernarvonshire, set out for Queenstown to look for him. However, his mission was fruitless and no sign of him, dead or alive, was ever seen again. As a consequence, he has no known grave. He was aged 32 years at the time he died.
In a copy of The Crosby and District Herald for Friday 21st May 1915, it states that: -
Mrs McLean ..... has received word that her husband died through helping others. He was the means of saving Mrs. Burnside, sister of the head of his firm, who has sent a most sympathetic telegram to Mrs. McLean.
Mrs. Burnside was Josephine S. Burnside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who survived the sinking, but Mr. McMurtry and Bedroom Steward Huther, like Walter McLean, also perished.
On the 21st May 1915, exactly two weeks after Walter McLean lost his life, his wife gave birth to their son, Walter Donald McLean in Liverpool.
Administration of his estate was granted to his widow Margaret on 9th September 1915, and his effects amounted to £643-8s-6d, (£643.42½p).
His maternal aunt was married to a Mr. William Roberts, who lived at ‘Glanydon House‘, Mostyn, Flintshire and was a Justice of the Peace in Mostyn.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, California Passenger Lists 1882 – 1959, Cunard Records, Aberystwyth War Book Vol. II, Crosby and District Herald, Prestatyn Weekly, Probate Records, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/135, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Clive Hughes, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.