Sydney Crawford Kelly was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 23rd August 1887, the son of John and Alice Ann Kelly (née Chivers). He was one of six children, and his
father was an engineer fitter. Sydney Kelly was unmarried and in 1915, lived at the family home, 57, Walsingham Road, Seacombe, Wallasey, Cheshire. The family had for many years resided at 9. Hale Road, Walton, Liverpool.
He was a professional marine engineer and had served his apprenticeship with The Alexandra Towing Company and also served with the Larringa and Joseph Holt Lines. During this time, he obtained his Board of Trade Second, First and Extra First Class certificates.
On the 12th April 1915, he engaged on the Lusitania at Liverpool as Intermediate Fifth Engineer at a monthly rate of pay of £11-10s.-0d. (£11.50p.) and reported for duty five days later before the liner left Liverpool for the last time, on her way to New York. Having completed her voyage there, she left the port on the afternoon of the 1st May and was torpedoed and sunk six days later, by the German submarine U-20. At that time, she was within sight of the southern Irish coast and only about 250 miles from Liverpool.
Intermediate Fifth Engineer Kelly was killed as a result of the torpedoing. He was aged 27 years. His body was not recovered and identified afterwards and as a consequence, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, in London.
His name was also engraved on a brass plaque belonging to The Liverpool Branch of The Marine Engineers’ Association which used to be in The Britannia Rooms in The Cunard Building in Liverpool. Underneath the badge of the association was engraved: -
ROLL OF HONOUR
LIVERPOOL BRANCH
A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF
THE MEMBERS, WHO LOST THEIR LIVES
THROUGH ENEMY ACTION IN THE
GREAT WAR. 1914 - 1919
and then followed the names of the 226 former members.
The memorial is not in the building today, however and its present whereabouts, if it has survived, are not known.
On the 13th July 1915, administration of his estate was granted to his father, his effects amounting to £148-12s.-2d. (£148.61p). The balance of wages owed to him in respect of his service on the Lusitania was also sent to his family in August 1915.
A further tragedy of his death was the fact that at the time of the Lusitania’s last voyage, Engineer Kelly had decided to leave the sea and apply for a Board of Trade surveyorship.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, England Select Births and Christenings 1538 – 1975, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Marine Engineers’ Association Journal, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/ 345, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/75578, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, George Donnison, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 4th February 2024.