William Jones was born in West Kirby, Cheshire, England, around 1860, the son of William and Mary Jones (née Mutch). He was one of six children, and at the time of his birth his father was a national school teacher, but later worked as a debt collector and book keeper.
On finishing his education, he found work as a warehouseman before joining the Mercantile Marine as a ship’s waiter.
In 1889, he married Margaret Elizabeth Clegg in Liverpool and in 1915, they lived at 14. Palmerston Drive, Litherland, Liverpool, with their six children. Prior to moving there, they had lived at 49, Eaton Avenue.
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.), and he reported for duty at 7 a.m. on the 17th, before the liner left the River Mersey on her last ever return voyage. His previous ship had been the Lusitania’s sister ship the R.M.S. Mauretania.
He died three weeks later when the ship was sunk and as his body was not recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. Consequently, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He was aged 54 years, although in official records his age is recorded as being 47 years.
In August 1915, his widow was given the balance of wages owed to him in respect of his sea service before the vessel sank. It was reckoned from the 17th April 1915 until the 8th May, 24 hours after she had gone down. In addition, The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted his widow a yearly pension to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £41-1s.-5d. (£41.07p.) which was payable at the rate of £3-8s.-6d. (£3.42½p.) per month.
There is a W.T. Jones of the Mercantile Marine commemorated on the Bootle and District
Municipal War Memorial in Stanley Road, Bootle, Merseyside, not far from Litherland, and it is possible that this refers to Second Class Waiter William Jones.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1861 Census of England, 1871 Census of |England, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, 1921 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Liverpool Echo, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/73667, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 31st January 2024.