Susan Georgina Middleton Coleman was born in Knocknashammer, Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland, on the 29th January 1893, the daughter, and one of nine children, of James and Mary Jane Coleman (née Lytle). Her father was a farmer, and a retired member of the Royal Irish Constabulary.
On the 29th April 1912, Susan arrived in New York City, having sailed from Londonderry in Northern Ireland on board the
Caledonia, with the intention of finding work as a domestic servant. One of her older sisters, Sarah, was already living and working in Brooklyn, New York City, and it was to her that Susan went to.
In the spring of 1915, she decided to return home to Ireland as a second cabin passenger on the
Lusitania. As a consequence, she joined the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54, on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for her scheduled 10.00 o’clock departure. This was then delayed until the early afternoon because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April.
The Lusitania finally left port just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May; she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine
U-20. At that point, she was off The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and only 250 miles hours away from her Liverpool home port destination.
Susan Coleman managed to escape the sinking ship, probably because she got into one of the lifeboats which was successfully launched and after being rescued from the sea, she was landed at Queenstown.
From there, she made it back to her native home in County Cavan.
Two of the local papers in her area reported her survival, both in their editions of Saturday, 15th May 1915.
The Irish Post and Weekly Telegraph stated: -
Miss Coleman, of the Cootehill district, whose safety is a matter of rejoicing among friends and neighbours, lost £100 worth of property.
While the Ballybay correspondent from the Anglo-Celt reported: -
That on Monday, a Miss Coleman, of Cootehill district, passed through by train, and on being interviewed by him, said she was one of the survivors of the Lusitania, and had just got so far on her way home from Queenstown. She looked in no way upset after her thrilling experience, and expressed her thanks at getting away from the agonising scenes of disaster. She lost over £100 of property in the ill-fated vessel.
In the summer of 1915, she applied for financial assistance to The Lusitania Relief Fund, which had been set up after the disaster by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other worthy dignitaries, to help those survivors and relatives of the dead, who found themselves in difficulties as a result of the sinking. The committee administering the fund awarded her the sum of £4-0s-0d, and must have been considering further assistance as they requested further details from her. It is unknown if she received any further payments.
Susan Coleman married Joseph Sharpe, a farmer, in Cootehill on the 9th July 1919 and both of them lived for the remainder of their lives on their farm.
Susan Sharpe died in Cootehill on the 4th January 1974, aged 80 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Irish Post and Weekly Telegraph, Anglo-Celt, Liverpool Record Office, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.