Francis ‘Frank’ Arthur Palmer was born in Penang, in the Straits Territories, then part of the British Empire, on the 13th August 1845, the son of John Arthur and Caroline Palmer (née Matilda). His father was a merchant, who had emigrated from Scotland.
On the 28th February 1867, he married Melania Smith at St. George’s Church on
Prince of Wales Island (another name for Penang), and they had at least five children. Frank was a British civil servant, being the chief clerk at the Stamp Office, Penang, until his retirement.
In late 1914, or early 1915, leaving his wife and most of his family in Penang, he had gone to North Augusta, North Carolina, in the United States of America, accompanied by his daughter, Kathleen, with the intention of setting up a home there for himself and his family, however, they found the climate unsuitable and decided to travel to England to set up their home instead.
Consequently, they booked second cabin passage on the Lusitania which was scheduled to leave New York for Liverpool on the morning of 1st May 1915.
Leaving North Augusta some time in April, they arrived at the Cunard berth, at Pier 54 in New York, in time to board the liner for her scheduled 10.00 departure, but because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned for service as a troop ship at the end of April, she did not actually leave the port until 12.27 p.m..
Six days later, Frank Palmer and his daughter were two of the many second cabin passengers who were killed after the liner was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, off the southern coast of Ireland and only hours away from the safety of her home port.
As neither of their bodies was never recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, neither has a known grave. He was aged 69 years at the time.
Administration of his estate was granted to a Miss Amy Palmer at London on 5th July 1915, and his effects in England only amounted to £10. Amy Palmer was one of his daughters, and his address for the purposes of his estate was at 13. Shrewsbury Road, Bayswater, London, which was probably the home of a relative, or perhaps where the family intended setting up their new home..
British India Office Marriages, 1861 Census of Scotland, Cunard Records, The Straits Times, Probate Records, 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.