Robert Farrow was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, on the 16th September 1882, the son, and one of six children, of Charles and Sarah Farrow (née Crook). His father was a wheelwright and carpenter, and the family home was at 118. Peel Street, Farnworth, Lancashire, before the family moved to the nearby village of Kearsley. Robert followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a carpenter after leaving school.
On the 8th May 1904, he arrived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, having sailed from Liverpool on the
Bavarian. From there, he travelled to Toronto, Ontario, where he met his fiancée, Bertha Alice Wright, who was also from Kearsley, and who had immigrated to Canada in 1903. The couple married in Toronto on the 14th December 1904, and subsequently had two children – Edith and Ernest.
In the spring of 1915, Robert decided to visit his family in England. His mother was suffering from ill health, and subsequently died in February 1916, therefore it is likely that this was the reason for his decision. Consequently, he booked as a third class passenger on the Lusitania’s May sailing from New York to Liverpool.
He boarded the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York port on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for her scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure. He then had to wait until just after mid-day when the liner actually sailed. This was because she had to take on board passengers, cargo and crew from Anchor Liner the Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war work as a troop ship.
Six days after leaving New York, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania
was torpedoed twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland by the German submarine
U-20, and sank just eighteen minutes later. At that stage of her voyage, she was only 250 miles from the safety of her home port.
Robert Farrow was one of just over 130 third class passengers who managed to survive this sinking and after having been rescued from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown, from where it is presumed that he eventually reached his intended destination in Kearsley. He was aged 32 years at the time of his ordeal.
Robert Farrow returned to Canada on the 3rd October 1915 on board the Missanabie, arriving in Montreal, Quebec, and from there he travelled overland to his home in Toronto.
He lodged a claim for compensation for personal injuries and loss of possessions with the Canadian Commission which had been established to deal with such matters, and in 1926, when his case was decided, he was awarded $632.88. Evidence was heard that he contracted muscular rheumatism as a result of spending several hours on the water in an open boat, and that as a result he was suffering from partial disability.
In later life, he became a coal and grain merchant, before retiring and making frequent return visits with his wife to their families in Kearsley. His last visit was in the summer of 1954.
Robert Farrow died in Toronto on the 24th May 1955, aged 72 years, and is buried in Parklawn Cemetery, Toronto.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Ontario Canada Marriages 1826 – 1937, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of Canada, 1921 Census of Canada, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to U.S. 1895 – 1960, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, Cunard Records, Canadian Claims Case No. 811, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.