Patrick Curran was born on his family’s farm at Donaghmore, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, on the 14th January 1871, the son of Patrick and Judith “Julia” Curran (née Larkin). He was the third youngest of nine known children in the family.
O the 12th June 1909, he married Margaret Cunningham (née Dixon) at St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool. His wife was a widow with four children, and she and Patrick had four more children. By 1915, they lived at 9, Saltney Street, Everton, Liverpool.
Patrick Curran was a professional seaman in the British Mercantile Marine, and he engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, on the 12th April 1915, at a monthly rate of pay of £6-10s.-0d. (£6.50p.), £1-0s.-0d. of which was advanced to him at the time. He then reported for duty on board ship at Princes Landing Stage at 8 a.m. on the morning of the 17th April, for what became the Lusitania’s last departure from the River Mersey. His previous ship had been the Cunarder Caronia.
The liner crossed the Atlantic Ocean without mishap and then left New York on the early afternoon of the 1st May. Then, six days out of that port, on the afternoon of the 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine, U-20, off the Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland. At that time, she was only about 250 miles from the safety of her home port.
Patrick Curran was killed as a result of this action, and as his body was not one of those recovered and identified afterwards, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He was aged 44 years at the time of the sinking, although at the time of his engagement, he stated that he was aged 39 years!
In August 1915, his widow, Margaret, was paid the balance of wages owed to him, in respect of his service on the Lusitania’s last voyage, which was reckoned to be from the 17th April 1915, until the 8th May, 24 hours after the vessel had gone down! Also, The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted a yearly pension to Margaret Curran which amounted to £60-14s.-10d. (£60.74p.), which was payable at the rate of £5-1s.-3d. (£5.06p.) per month.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Ireland Catholic Parish Registers 1655 – 1915, Liverpool England Catholic Marriages 1754 – 1933, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Grave Commission, UK Campaign Medals Awarded to World War I Merchant Seamen 1914 – 1925, Birkenhead News, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/31960, UniLiv. PR 13/24, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated –28th January 2023.