William ‘Billy’ later ‘Bill’ Docherty was born in Long Island, New York City, in the United States of America, on the 5th March 1915, the son of William Docherty, who was a citizen of the United States of America and Mrs. Mabel Docherty, (née Irving), who came from Hexham, Northumberland, England.
In the spring of 1915, Mabel Docherty had booked them both as second cabin passengers on the May sailing of the
Lusitania to return home on a visit to see her parents and no doubt introduce them to their new grandchild - leaving Billy‘s father behind.
They joined the ship at Pier 54 in New York on the morning of 1st May, in time for her scheduled sailing out of that port, for Liverpool, which was due to begin at 10.00 a.m.. In the event, the
Lusitania did not actually leave port until 12.27 p.m. because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner
Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April.
After a fairly uneventful voyage, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the
Lusitania was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20. At that point, she was steaming past The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and about 250 miles away from her Liverpool home port and destination.
At the moment the torpedo struck, Billy Docherty was with his mother in the second cabin dining room, despite the fact that the
Lusitania had its own excellent nursery. Mrs. Docherty immediately left the dining room and carrying Billy with her left arm made her way up to the boat deck, despite the heavy list to starboard which was already affecting her balance. She was then able to get him and herself into an already overcrowded lifeboat despite the fact that she was told by an officer that the ship was not going to sink.
Once the lifeboat had been lowered into the sea - one of the few to be successfully launched - it only just escaped being swamped by the
Lusitania’s four giant funnels as the ship began her final plunge to the bottom of the sea. So close was Billy Docherty to destruction that the down draught of this movement actually swept the loosely tied bonnet from his head as it swept past. It is possible that this boat was Lifeboat No. 13.
There is no doubt that Mabel Docherty’s fortitude saved her son’s life, but the mere fact that he was not in the nursery when the torpedo struck was also a contributory factor, as it is likely that none of the infants who were in the nursery at the time survived - neither did any of the nursery staff!
Having been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, mother and son eventually made it to the home of Billy Docherty’s maternal grandparents, Thomas and Jane. Irving, at Hexham, in Northumberland.
Billy Docherty was only two months old at the time of the sinking, and a photograph of him in his mother’s arms was taken after their landing at Queenstown and then shown all around the world. He was probably the youngest second cabin passenger survivor.
Mother and son eventually returned to the United States on board the St. Paul in November 1915, and lived there for the rest of their lives, although on settling her claim with the Mixed Claims Commission for $3,000.00 in 1928, she made another visit to England with her son, their voyages proving uneventful on this occasion.
Bill began his education at Nutley High School, and excelled at sports. He won honours for athletics, football, and baseball, becoming an All-American football player, and played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was later educated at Haverford College - a Quaker college - in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and for thirty years he a professor of physical education and the head football coach there.
He married Patricia Thompson, but they had no children, and resided at 757. College Avenue, Haverford, Pennsylvania.
Following the outbreak of World War II, Bill Docherty enlisted in the United States Navy and was commissioned as an ensign. He served on the
USS Cincinnati, which was a light cruiser, and when Bill Doherty joined the vessel, she was based at Recife, Brazil, engaged in convoy duties in the south Atlantic. In 1944, the vessel was sent to the Mediterranean Sea to support the Allied invasion of the south of France. He left this vessel on the 30th June 1945, and was transferred to the U.S. Navy Reserve in November 1945.
Although he returned to civilian live and his employment at Haverford College, he was recalled to active duty on the 21st January 1951, and with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, he served during the Korean War until being final discharged on the 7th September 1952.
Bill Doherty worked for the remainder of his life at Haverford College, until he died of cancer at Bryn Mawr Hospital, near Philadelphia, on the 27th October 1972, aged 57 years. He was interred at St. Asaph Church Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
New York Birth Index 1910 – 1965, 1920 U.S. Federal Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, Cunard Records, Pennsylvania Veteran Compensation Application Files 1950 – 1966, Haverford College, Last Voyage of the Lusitania, Newcastle Daily Chronicle, Nutley Sun, Seven Days to Disaster, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.