Walter Edgar Tijou was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the 4th August 1870, the son of Walter and Caroline Ann Tijou (née Barnes). He was the eldest of eight known children in the family and his father was a farmer and shoe maker.
On completing his education, he became a farmer, and then, sometime in the 1890’s, he travelled to England. By this time, he was in the printing and publishing business.
On the 29th June 1898, he married Carrie Maud Malpass in Hulme, Lancashire, and the couple travelled back and forth between England and Toronto, where they maintained homes.
Their first child, a son named Howard Walter, was born in Toronto in 1904, and their second child, a daughter named Hilda Maud, was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, in 1908.
Walter Tijou was a frequent traveller in connection with his work, and often brought his son with him on his business trips. It is said that they were in Mexico in 1910 when the Mexican Revolution began!
In 1915, the family was living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, although they still maintained a home in England, which was at “Ashtabula”, 18, Wendover Road, Bromley, Kent, England.
In April 1915, Mr. Tijou and his son, Howard, left Toronto and travelled into the United States of America to New York where they joined the Lusitania at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in the port as second cabin passengers, on 1st May 1915.
The liner left New York just after mid-day on that date, after a delayed start, having taken on passengers, some crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned for war service. Six days later, tragedy struck the family when the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of southern Ireland, only 250 miles from her Liverpool destination.
Although Mr. Tijou survived the sinking his son did not and he was never seen again - dead or alive.
After being rescued from the sea, Mr. Tijou was landed at Queenstown and from there he eventually made his way to his wife and daughter in England.
In October 1915, Walter Tijou received a letter from a Mrs. Prichard, whose son Richard Preston Prichard had been another second cabin passenger on the voyage, and of whom no trace had been found. Mrs. Prichard wrote to as many of the survivors as she could obtain addresses for, seeking information about her son. On the 22nd October 1915, Walter Tijou replied: -
22/10/15
Ashtabula,
Wendover Road,
Bromley,
Kent.
Dear Mrs. Pritchard (sic.),
Your letter just to hand, alas yes, I was in the ill-fated Lusitania with my son, see newspaper cutting enclosed. I have only a faint recollection of your son on board & did not see him after the boat was torpedoed, any that were found dead in the water, or in boats were taken to Queenstown, and laid in the morgues for identification & I have no recollection of seeing him there but all papers, jewellery & ect, were taken off the dead by the Police, & numbered, parcelled up separately & I believe still remain in their charge. My berth I think was D.82, so we should be quite close together. Have you any idea what number his seat was at the table, & which sitting. I fancy a number of lost, by the boats being lowered while the vessel was travelling at full speed, which smashed them to pieces when they touched the water& thus throw the passengers violently against the vessel, further I believe some were locked in their rooms, as the concussion caused the doors to jam. This was my experience. The following are the names & addresses of the passengers, Joseph Glancy, 12. Camden St, Belfast, Mrs. Owens, 10. Gore Terrace, Swansea, J.P. Gray, 2. Melville Crescent, Edinburgh, Sidney Taft, 14. Bellefield Rd, Mission Green, Birmingham.
Are you in touch with any of the passengers who got away in the early boats. I have not had any word regarding our son. Hoping you are bearing up under your heavy loss. Sincerely yours,
W.E. Tijou
No trace of Richard Preston Prichard or Howard Tijou was ever found.
In the 3rd May 1916 edition of the popular newspaper, The People’s Journal, there was a photograph of two bowler-hatted men shaking hands, under which is written: -
A cordial meeting between two survivors on Lusitania Anniversary Day. In that memorable disaster, J.F. Leach on the right saved the life of W.S. Tijon, (sic) with whom he is shaking hands.
J.F. Leach was Waiter John F. Leach who came from Eastbourne, in Sussex, England, but the details of his saving Mr. Tijou are not known.
Walter Tijou remained in England, and in 1916, the family’s final child, Raymond Trevor Tijou, was born in London; however, he died in 1918 in Southport, Lancashire.
In November 1919, Walter Tijou and his wife and daughter immigrated to Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America, where in 1926; Walter became a naturalised U.S. citizen.
Walter Tijou lodged a claim with the British Claims Department for personal injury and loss of his personal possessions as a result of the sinking of the Lusitania, which was transferred to the Canadian Commission. By the time his claim was decided, he had moved to California, and it was revealed that moving to California had been on the advice of his doctors as his chest and legs had been affected by his lengthy immersion in the water following the sinking, and he was advised to move to a warmer and dryer climate. In September 1926, the Commission awarded him $5,000 in respect of his personal injuries and $500 to compensate him for the loss of his personal property.
He continued to work in publishing until his retirement, while his daughter, Mrs. Hilda Maud Rhodes, became a motion picture actress.
After the death of his wife in 1929, Walter resided with his daughter and her husband, Homer Rhodes. For the last five years of his life, he resided at 13043. Addison Street, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, and it was here, on the 21st July 1941, that he died, aged 70 years.
Register of Births, marriages and Deaths, California U.S. Death Index 1940 – 1997, 1881 Census of Canada, 1891 Census of Canada, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, 1920 U.S. Federal Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1940 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes 1791 – 1992, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, UK Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 – 1960, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to U.S. 1895 – 1960, Cunard Records, Canadian Claims Case No. 852, IWM GB62, People’s Journal, Van Nuys and Valley Green Sheet, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/103, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.