Henry Christian was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 25th October 1855, the son of Henry and Eleanor Jessie Laing Christian (née Braddick). In 1857, his father, who was a postman or letter carrier, died. Being the youngest of six known children, Henry began working as a waiter while still in his early teenage years, and by 1872, he began serving as a ship’s steward.
On the 25th July 1875, he married Katie Coates in Liverpool, and the couple had seven children before Katie Christian died on the 20th April 1906. By 1915, he lived at 24, Blythswood Street, Aigburth, Liverpool, with his married daughter, Mrs. Katie Pauline Redfern, and her family.
He was a professional steward in the British Mercantile Marine and on the 12th April 1915, he engaged at the Cunard office at Water Street, Liverpool, as a second cabin
bedroom steward on board the Lusitania. His monthly rate of pay in this rank was £4-5s-0d. (£4.25). His engagement was for a return voyage to New York and having arrived there on the 24th April, the liner began her return on the early afternoon of the 1st May 1915.
Six days out of New York, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine, U-20, whilst only about twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland, with heavy loss of life to passengers and crew. Henry Christian was one of those killed as a result of the action. He was aged 59 years, although he gave his age on signing up for the voyage as being 48 years!
His body was not amongst those taken from the sea and later identified and as a result, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
Cunard records show him to have the initial 'K', but this is probably a misprint.
On the 7th July 1915, administration of his estate was granted to his eldest daughter, Mrs. Katie Pauline Redfern, wife of Alexander George Redfern. His effects amounted to £40-8s-11d. (£48.45p). The following month, his family received from Cunard, the balance of pay owed to him in respect of his service on the Lusitania’s last voyage. This was reckoned to be from the 17th April 1915 until the 8th May - 24 hours after the liner had been sunk.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1935, 1861 Census of England, 1871 Census of England, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Probate Records, PRO BT 334, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Lawrence Evans, David Irving, Robert O'Brien, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 7th January 2023.