Henry Alfred Simpson Renwick Jenkins, always known as “Alfred”, was born in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, England, in 1882, the son of Mary Isabella Jenkins. He was baptised on the 16th May 1882, and as his mother’s name is the only record of a parent on his baptismal record, it is likely she was not married. The identity of his father is unknown.
Nothing is known of his childhood, except by 1891, he was residing with Margaret and Mary Dixon, two unmarried sisters, at Old Hartley, and by 1901, he was described as being the adopted son of one of the Dixon sisters. It is possible that the Dixon’s were sisters of either his father or mother, but this is only speculation.
While still a child, he found work in one of the local coal miners, and as he grew older, he became a coal miner.
In 1909, he married Mary Eleanor Tait, and the couple resided with his wife’s parents at 10, Double Row, Bates Cottages, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland. The couple had two children – Harold, born in late 1910, and Eleanor, known as ‘Nellie’, born in 1912.
In April 1913, he boarded the Corsican at Liverpool, bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. On arrival in Canada, he made his way to Nanaimo, British Columbia, where he found work in one of the local coal mines.
In February 1915, his daughter, Nellie, died, and whether solely because of this, or perhaps he also wished to do his patriotic duty, he decided to return to his home. He left Nanaimo with Noel Standfast, a fellow Englishman, and both men travelled to New York City. On arrival there, they booked third class passage for themselves from New York to Liverpool on the
Lusitania and joined her before she left that port for her sailing on 1st May 1915, which was scheduled to commence in the morning, but was delayed until the early afternoon.
The delay was caused because she had to load cargo and embark passengers and some of the crew from the Anchor Liner
Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war work at the end of April.
The Lusitania finally left the Cunard berth at Pier 54 at 12.27 p.m. and six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only hours steaming time from the safety of her Liverpool home port!
Alfred Jenkins was killed as a result of this action and as no sign of his body was ever found and identified, he has no known grave. He was aged 33 years, although he gave his age as being 27 years on boarding. His friend, Noel Standfast suffered a similar fate.
In the summer of 1915, his widow applied successfully for financial help to The Lusitania Relief Fund, which was administered by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool. From the 7th June 1915 she was awarded the weekly sum of £0-10s-0d. The Committee noted that she was in poor health at this time. It is not known how long she was in receipt of this weekly payment, but at a meeting of the committee in December 1915, it was decided to continue the payments and award a further £0-5s-0d. per week to their child.
The death of Alfred Jenkins wasn’t the end of Germany’s involvement with the family, for Alfred’s son, 1379148 Sergeant Harold Jenkins, serving with 9 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, was lost and presumed killed on the 23rd April 1943, along with the other seven members of his Lancaster aircraft, whilst on a mine-laying mission over the Bay of Biscay.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & wales, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Star-Phoenix, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/11, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.