Samuel McClimond was probably born in London, England, around 1880, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel McClimond. Nothing is known of his parents or his childhood, except that his father was a gardener. At some point as a child or young adult, he went to Ireland where he resided with Thomas and Letitia Sutton, believed to have been his uncle and aunt, at their farm at Ballyclamey, Moyvore, Mullingar, County Westmeath.
Samuel worked on the Sutton farm for some years until he travelled to the United States of America in September 1914 on board the White Star liner, Adriatic.
In the spring of 1915, he had been working in New York City, and perhaps because of the war, he decided to return home to Ireland. As a consequence, he booked as a third class passenger on the Lusitania, and with ticket number 37728, he boarded her at the Cunard berth on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for her last ever sailing out of the harbour, which began in the early afternoon. She was scheduled to leave port at 10 o’clock in the morning, but her departure was delayed while she embarked passengers, some crew, and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship.
The Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk, just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, by the German submarine U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only hours from the safety of her home port. Fortunately, Robert McClimond was counted amongst the survivors and having been picked up from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown, from where he eventually got back home, presumably by rail!
On reaching Mullingar, about ten miles from his home, a reporter from the Westmeath Examiner managed to interview him, and publish his account in the edition of 15th May: -
‘I was in terrible shock. I was eating at the time, and when I heard the first crash I knew at once that it was a torpedo had struck the ship. I was a third-class passenger. I believe most of the first-class must have perished. I rushed for a lifebelt, but found there were some hundreds of women and children looking for belts, and other means of escape, and I needn’t say they, like us all, were suffering from wild anxiety and terror, though there was no disorder.
‘When I saw the women and children , I of course waited until they were provided with lifebelts, and then, having secured one for myself, made for one side of the ship and slid down to the water by a rope. I attempted to get into a lifeboat but failed; indeed in order to escape being pinned between the lifeboat and the vessel’s side I have to dive under the lifeboat.
‘I came up alright on the other side and after about twenty minutes in the water I was picked up by a submarine chaser’.
Some confusion over his survival occurred afterwards; however, as he was initially listed as being killed by The Cunard Steam Ship Company and when the mistake was realised, the company had to amend its records!
In the summer of 1915, he was awarded the sum of £3-0s-0d., from The Lusitania Relief Fund, to help with the financial losses he had incurred as a result of the sinking. This fund had been set up after the liner had gone down, by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other local men from the business quarter to give assistance to survivors and relatives of those lost in the second and third class accommodation. It was thought that those who had been in the saloon cabins could probably afford to look after their own needs!
Samuel McClimond was aged 34 years at the time of the sinking, although Cunard records at the time stated his age to be 32 years, and they also incorrectly give the spelling of his name as being McClamond.
Samuel McClimond lived the rest of his life in Ireland, although a few years after his ordeal on the Lusitania, he relocated to Dublin with Letitia Sutton, who had been widowed in 1909.
On the 24th April 1922, Samuel married Elizabeth Mulvey in Dublin, but no further details of his marriage are known, and he died in St. Kevin’s Hospital, Dublin, on the
19th February 1958, aged 68 years. At the time of his death he was residing at 35. De Courcey Square, Glasnevin, Dublin. His wife had predeceased him.
Contemporary sources also show the family name to be spelled McClammond, McClemond, McLemond and even McLimond!
Register of Births, Marriages and Death, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Westmeath Examiner, Liverpool Record Office, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Richard Coplen, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.