Charles Edward Hammett Robinson was born in New York, in the United States of America, probably on the 3rd July 1862, the son of Charles and Mary Ann Robinson (née Mason). He was the eldest of seven children, and his father was a machinist.
On the 30th September 1886, he married Prudence Mary Rose in New York City, and in early 1915, the family home was at 500, Tulpehocken Street, Germanstown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had been the Philadelphia representative of The Walkover Shoe Company situated at 1022, Chestnut Street, and in the spring of 1915, he was being sent to England to take over the running of the company's business in London.
Consequently he booked saloon passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool, through his Philadelphia office for himself and his wife, Prudence, who was also to accompany him to his new home.
Having left Philadelphia at the end of April, the couple arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York on the morning of 1st May, in time for the liner’s scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure. Having boarded with ticket number 74681, they were escorted to their accommodation in room B6, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward William Williams, who came from Liverpool. The steamer did not actually leave New York until the early afternoon, however, because she had to wait to embark passengers, crew, and cargo from Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war service as a troop ship at the end of April.
Then, six days out of New York on the afternoon of 7th May, and within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that time, she was only about 250 miles away from her the safety of her Liverpool destination. Neither of the Robinsons survived this action. Charles Robinson was aged 52 years.
As neither of their bodies was ever recovered and identified at a later date, neither has a known grave.
Bedroom Steward Williams, who had looked after Charles and Prudence Robinson in room B6, did survive the sinking, however and eventually made it back to his Liverpool home.
The initial list of casualties compiled by Cunard and published in March 1916, states that Charles and Prudence Robinson were British, but a later one upgraded in
February 1917, and usually a more reliable source, gives their nationality as citizens of the United States of America.
After the War, his elderly father and brothers and sisters lodged a claim with the Mixed Claims Commission for compensation for his loss. The Committee decided that his father was the only one of the claimants who was in any way dependant on Charles, and awarded him the sum of $2,500.00.
New York U.S. Extracted Marriage Index 1866 – 1937, 1870 U.S. Federal Census, 1875 New York State Census, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, 1905 New York State Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, Massachusetts Passenger Lists 1820 – 1963, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 223 & 224, New York Times, Philadelphia Public Ledger, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.