Reuben Harris was born in Blackheath, Staffordshire, England, on the 29th August 1852, the son of Andrew and Hannah Harris (née Willetts). His father was a coal miner and his mother was a ‘nailer’, - a person who made iron nails!
As was the custom in the 1800’s Reuben began his working life in his early teenage years and became a bricklayer. On the 16th November 1873, he married Emma Hadley at the Church of St. Thomas, Dudley, Staffordshire. The couple would have eleven children, seven who would still be alive in 1911. In the early years of their marriage, the family resided at 37. High Street, Blackheath – two houses away from Emma’s family home, which was at 39. High Street! The family later moved to Long Lane, an area between Blackheath and Halesowen.
Reuben built many buildings in the Long Lane area, and as the years went by, he was joined in the building trade by a number of his sons.
On the 30th March 1912, Reuben and his son, Aaron, who was a carpenter, boarded the White Star liner
Megantic at Liverpool, and disembarked in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on the 7th April. On arrival in Canada, they made their way to Calgary, Alberta. Emma Harris joined them when she arrived in Halifax on the 30th August 1912, on board the
Empress of Ireland, and followed them in Calgary.
By 1915, Reuben and Emma Harris were living in Toronto, Ontario, where Reuben was employed as a bricklayer with Fyshe Martin and Company. A number of their children were living in Toronto at this time. In the spring of that year, perhaps because of the Great War, they decided to make the journey back to England. Consequently, on the 14th April, they booked second cabin passage on the May sailing of the
Lusitania from New York to Liverpool.
Having left Toronto after booking their passage, they arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York on the morning of 1st May, in time to board the liner for her scheduled 10 o’clock departure. This was then postponed until just after mid-day, however, because the Lusitania had to take on board cargo, and embark passengers and crew from the Cunarder S.S.
Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war service as a troop ship at the end of April.
Six days out of New York, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania
was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 twelve miles off The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland, and sank within 18 minutes. At that stage of her voyage, she was only about fourteen hours steaming time away from her home port and ultimate destination.
Both Reuben and Emma Harris lost their lives as a result of this action and as neither of their bodies was ever recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, neither has a known grave. Reuben Harris was aged 62 years.
The Great War was not finished with the Harris family, however; as on the 15th May 1915, two of their sons – Aaron and Benjamin enlisted in the Royal Engineers, and whereas Benjamin survived, 98244 Sapper Aaron Harris did not. Having completed his basic training in England, he was sent to France on the 18th December 1915 and assigned to the 155th Field Company of the Royal Engineers. While serving on the Western Front, he suffered a gunshot wound to his neck on the 17th January 1916, and initially treated at No. 10 Field Hospital, St. Omar, and then transferred to St John Hospital, at Etaples, where he died on the 20th February. His remains were interred in Etaples Military Cemetery in Grave VI.C.7 where they still lie today.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, England Select Births and Christenings 1538 – 1975, England Select Marriages 1538 – 1973, 1861 Census of England & Wales, 1871 Census of England & Wales, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Birmingham Daily Gazette, Cunard Records, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Graham Maddocks, Robert Dean, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.