William Henry ‘Bill’ Edgar was born in Southport, Lancashire, England, in 1893, the son of Jesse and Sarah Dinah Edgar (née Bushell). He was one of twelve children and at the time of his birth, his father worked as a basket maker, but he later became a furniture porter. In 1915, the family home was at 27, Virginia Street, Southport, Lancashire.
On completing his education, Bill became a plumber’s apprentice before joining the British Mercantile Marine as a waiter on passenger ships, like James, one of his older brothers.
He engaged as a second class waiter in the Stewards' Department on board the Lusitania at Liverpool on the 12th April 1915 at a monthly wage of £4-5s.-0d. (£4.25p). He reported for duty on board the ship on the early morning of the 17th April, in time for the vessel’s last ever departure from the River Mersey on her way to New York.
Three weeks later, on the afternoon of the 7th May, when she was on her return leg to Liverpool, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her home port. Bill Edgar was killed as a result of the sinking and as his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He was aged 21 years.
Also, on board the liner when she foundered was Edgar’s friend and fellow waiter Thomas Adamson, who lodged with Edgar’s parents in Virginia Street. He survived the sinking and having been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, slightly injured, he was able to cable Mr. and Mrs. Edgar with the sad news: -
LIST OF SURVIVORS INCOMPLETE, BUT HAVE NOT YET SEEN BILL.
After the sinking, it was reported in local newspaper The Southport Visiter:-
The sad event was more keenly felt by Mr. and Mrs. Edgar and family in view of the fact that a farewell party was to have been held on Sunday evening in connection with the departure of Corporal Edgar, of the Scots Guards, at which it was hoped the two men on the Lusitania would have been present. Strange to relate, Corporal Edgar, prior to joining the forces was also employed on the ill-fated vessel.
The corporal returned to London yesterday after a few day’s furlough, having been previously in hospital at Netley with seven wounds received at La Bassée. Two other members of the Edgar family are also in H.M. forces - Thomas, who is a sergeant in the King’s Royal Rifles and Robert, who is a private in the Royal Army Medical Corps.
“Corporal Edgar” was named James, and all three of the Edgar brothers who served in the Army, survived the war.
As it was necessary to bury all the recovered bodies as soon as possible because they could not be hygienically stored in the increasing heat of May, they were all photographed in the temporary mortuaries in Queenstown before being buried. Anxious relatives of those missing were then invited to identify their loved ones through these photographs. This was difficult in certain cases because of injuries they had received as a consequence of the sinking or because immersion in sea water had disfigured their features.
Soon after the sinking, copies of all the photographs were posted in St. George's Hall in Liverpool and Dinah Edgar must have seen them there, for she was convinced that the photograph of corpse No. 126 was that of her son and sent Cunard further details of him as further proof. These details stated: -
Wounded middle finger. Age 22, Hair very dark brown, Even teeth, Large hands and wrists. Height 5’ 9”. Carries silver watch.
However, despite her certainty, corpse No. 126 was not that of her son, but turned out to be that of saloon passenger Arthur Wood, which identification had already been made by the time that Cunard received Mrs. Edgar’s letter.
When it was finally accepted that Bill Edgar had no known grave, he was officially commemorated on The Tower Hill Memorial to the Missing of the Mercantile Marine in London. He is also commemorated on the Southport Municipal Memorial, on a war memorial in Emmanuel Parish Church in Southport and on a bronze plaque in Christ Church in Lord Street, Southport. This memorial was originally sited in St. Andrew’s Parish Church, Southport, but was moved when the church became disused.
In August 1915, Bill Edgar’s family were given the balance of wages owing to him in respect of his service on board the Lusitania from the 17th April 1915 until the 8th May - 24 hours after he had been killed.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Lancashire England Church of England Births and Baptisms 1813 – 1911, 1911 Census of England, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Lancashire Daily Post, Southport’s Splendid Hearts, Southport Visiter, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334,UniLiv.D92/1/6-2, Graham Maddocks, Denise Deighton, Joe Devereux, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 31st March 2023.