Colin Cattley was born in Brandsby cum Stearsby, in the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1881, the son of John and Eliza Cattley (née Noton). His father was a farmer; therefore it would appear natural that having completed his initial education, he studied as an agricultural student before immigrating to Canada.
On the 20th June 1903, Colin arrived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, having sailed from Liverpool on the
Lake Manitoba. He originally went to Strathcona, Alberta, but by 1909, he was farming land in the nearby town of Wainwright, and in 1910 he applied for ownership of the land he was farming. This was granted in 1914.
In 1910, Colin had returned to England to visit his family, and now that he was a landowner and obviously having established himself in Canada, he decided on another visit. Therefore, in the spring of 1915, he decided, with fellow rancher Soren Sorenson, to leave his ranch and travel to England. Consequently, he booked second cabin passage for himself on the May sailing of the
Lusitania and with his friend Mr. Sorenson; he left Wainwright and travelled to Edmonton, from where he set out by rail for New York.
The two friends arrived at the Cunard Berth at Pier 54 there in time for the liner’s scheduled departure 10.00 a.m. but then had to wait until 12.27 p.m. before she actually left there and sailed out into the North River and the Atlantic Ocean. This delay was caused because she had to transfer some of the crew, the passengers and the cargo from the Anchor Lines vessel the
Cameronia, which had been requisitioned for use as a troop ship at the end of April
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May 1915, the liner was torpedoed, by the German submarine
U-20, whilst steaming past The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland. Although his friend Soren Sorenson survived this action, Colin Cattley was killed. As his body was never found and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 34 years.
Probate of his estate was granted to Samuel Willy Frank, whose occupation was described as that of ‘gentleman’ at London on 18th November 1916, and his effects amounted to £273-19s-2d., (£273.96p.).
Colin Cattley is commemorated on a brass plaque in All Saints Church in his native village of Brandsby.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1906 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, 1911 Census of Canada, Alberta Canada Homestead Records 1870 – 1930, Probate Records, Cunard Records, Edmonton Journal, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/230, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.