Reginald Arthur Edward Owens was born in Greenville, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, on the 23rd April 1907, the son of Herbert Isaacs and Cecelia Mildred Owens (née Smith). His parents and older brother, Ronald Hubert, had emigrated from Wales in 1905, and his father worked as a clerk.
In November 1910, he accompanied his mother and older brother on a holiday to Wales, returning to Pennsylvania in July 1911. By now, the family were residing at 215. Springfield Avenue, Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, where the boy already had uncles living and working.
In the spring of 1915, however, maybe because of the war situation in Europe, one of his maternal uncles, Alfred Smith, decided to return to his native Swansea with his wife, Elizabeth, and his two daughters, Helen, aged six years, and Elizabeth, who was still a baby. Reginald's mother decided to join her brother and his family on the voyage, which gave her the opportunity of enjoying another holiday in Swansea and seeing her family and friends there. She decided to take her two sons, Reginald and Ronald on the journey home, leaving the boys’ father back in Ellwood City.
As a consequence, the two families booked second class accommodation on the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool and left Ellwood City at the end of April on the first part of their journey.
A mere six days later, with the liner so close to her destination, both families were virtually wiped out with the sinking of the ship. Although Mrs. Owens survived, both of her sons were killed - Reginald was only eight years old and as no trace of his body was ever found and identified afterwards, he has no known grave.
Having been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, his mother eventually made it back to Swansea and related her ordeal to a reporter of the local newspaper The Cambria Leader. The account, which refers to his mother as Mrs. Owen, and his brother Ronald as Hubert, was published on Tuesday 11th May 1915 It states: -
The party were (sic) travelling second class and their cabins were opposite each other. On Friday afternoon, Hubert and Reginald and Helen Smith were playing on deck and having a glorious time. Everybody on board was anticipating the end of the voyage and none had the slightest idea that a catastrophe was near.
Mrs. Owen, leaving the children at play, telling them to come down in half an hour, went below to pack and dress in anticipation of landing. Mr and Mrs. Smith were in their own cabin with the five months’ old child. They had not been below five minutes when the crash came.
The first care was, of course, for the children and while Mrs. Owen dashed up in search of her boys, she assumed that Mr. and Mrs. Smith tried to find Helen. Mrs. Owen did not see a single of the little party again, neither did little Helen till she recognised her auntie in a Queenstown hotel some hours after. .....
Mrs. Owen viewed the dead bodies brought ashore without finding any of the party, ..... .
Reginald Owens’ uncle and aunt and his baby cousin Elizabeth were also killed, only his other cousin, Helen, surviving from the Smith family!
Pennsylvania Birth Records 1906 – 1908, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1911 Census of England & Wales, Philadelphia Passenger Lists 1800 – 1962, Cunard Records, Cambria Leader, Daily Record and Mail, Western Mail, 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.