Thomas Henry Richards - always known by both of his two Christian names - was born in Breage, Cornwall, England, on the 20th August 1874, the son of John and Sophia Richards - his mother’s maiden name was also Richards, and she may have been a cousin of his father! His father was a mine labourer in the local tin and copper mines, and also farmed six acres of land, while Thomas Henry Richards was a worker in wood - sometimes acting as a wheelwright and sometimes acting as a journeyman carpenter.
In late 1901 or 1902, he had gone out to Polk, Montana, in the United States of America with a friend, where he obtained employment as a carpenter in a local quartz mine, and he was granted United States citizenship on 15th September 1906. By this time, he was living in Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana. Soon after, however, he returned to Cornwall, and on 11th June 1907, he married Phillipa Conner - always known as Phyllis Conner, at The United Free Methodist Church in Helston. At that time, his home was stated to be at Colvorry Farm - which was the family home - in the parish of Breage. It is likely that the couple had known each other since they were both very young.
Almost exactly one month later, on July 10th 1907, the couple arrived at New York in the United States of America on the Cunarder S.S. Carmania, making for Butte, and once there, they had three children, Thomas Percy - known as Percy - who was born in 1908, Cecil Henry, who was born in 1911 and Dora Millicent, who was born in 1913. The family home in Butte was at 2210, Yew Street.
By the spring of 1915, however, Thomas Henry Richards and his wife decided to return to Cornwall with their children, possibly because of the war and possibly because of a row with other members of the Richards family living in Montana. As a consequence, second cabin passage was booked for them all on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool, after which they intended to travel south to Cornwall. By this time, Thomas Henry Richards had already purchased a plot of land in Cornwall, which he intended to work.
Leaving Butte some time in April, they all arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for the liner’s scheduled 10 o’clock sailing. This was then postponed until the early afternoon whilst the liner took on board passengers, cargo and some crew from the Anchor Liner Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned as a troop ship at the end of April. Once on board, they were accommodated in room D.80. Although Thomas Henry’s naturalisation, his subsequent marriage and the birth of his children, which made all the family members United States citizens, they were listed by Cunard as British, which must have been at Thomas Henry‘s insistence!
Six days later, 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 only twenty minutes later. At that stage of her voyage, she was a mere twelve or fourteen hours away from her Liverpool destination.
Thomas Henry Richards later wrote of the family’s experiences to his sister, Mrs. Harry Skewes, back in Butte and this letter was later published in The Butte Miner and stated: -
We left New York at 12:30 o'clock Saturday. We were late owing to the
fact that we had to take on the Lusitania the passengers for the Camperonia, a Red Star Liner, that was ordered to Halifax to take on troops or something. Everything went very well until Friday. Had a lovely voyage - could not have expected better. Well, we were at dinner at the second seating. We went to dinner at 1:40 in the afternoon. We had just finished and I was folding my napkin when the fateful shot came. Everyone was on their feet in a second and rushing from the dining room. I am thankful to say I kept my cool and sat there for a minute and asked others to sit still for a while until the rush was over. Then all of a sudden, the Lusitania went down on one side and everything was swept from the tables. “Now,” I said, “Let's go” - there not being much of a crush. We went to our room hearing the words. "Women and children first in the boats.”
Well I thought that Phyllis and the children might be in the boat all night and, if so, would be cold, so I said to put on her fur coat. Then we put on the four life preservers and made for the deck. There were only four preservers in each room, none for Dora and she was too small had there been one there.
I had a boy in each hand and Phyllis had Dora in her arms. We climbed up four flights of stairs, then we saw an officer and asked him what he thought about it. He said: “There is no danger yet.” Also, he told us the best thing to do was to go up on the next deck and get into a boat. That stairway was full and how we got up it alive I don't know. I pulled the boys up and my wife followed. We were not there more than a half a minute when the Lusitania was almost perpendicular, going down bow first, with the propellers in the air. We were standing on the side of the lounge room, going down with the Lusitania. When the lounge reached the water we all floated off.
We left the children go then - could not hold on to them any longer, until we came to the top of the water again. The first thing I saw was Percy and Cecil quite close to me. I caught Cecil, but Percy was too far from me. Could not see mamma. Well, I managed to get to a boat with Cecil and caught hold of it, bottom side up, with some men on it, and they helped Cecil up on top. I looked around again and saw mama holding on to the same boat and I asked the men to help her, which they did. “Now,” I said, “Give me a hand.”
Well, we were on the boat looking around for Percy and Dora, but could not see them. My watch stopped at 2:34 o'clock, when we were taken off by the Indian Empire, a mine sweeper. We started for Queenstown at 6:10 o'clock by the clock on the boat.
Well, I should have said that the first one I saw on the Indian Empire was Percy calling “Papa”, but not crying. We got to Queenstown at 9:45 o'clock that night.
The first thing I did was to cable Charles and father. Then we got a bed and had our clothes dried. All next morning I spent hunting about Queenstown for Dora, but
the bodies, some 130 altogether. It was now 2:30 o'clock Saturday afternoon. The last I saw of Mrs. Trevarrow was at the table before the crowd started for the decks.
The Indian Empire, a mine sweeper was H.M.S. Indian Empire, a Royal Naval trawler and Mrs. Treverrow was a Cornish lady who had also been living in Butte. Montana.
Thus, out of all the Richards family, only baby Dora was killed, and all of the others were rescued from the sea, (although Percy was separated from them for a while and reunited through the efforts of a Lusitania crew member). They were all landed at Queenstown, from where they all eventually made it back to Cornwall.
Once back there, the family settled back at Colvorry Farm, part of which he had bought from landowner The Duke of Leeds, eventually buying a property named ‘Waverly’ in the hamlet of Ashton, on the Penzance to Helston road, to where they eventually retired.
The Richards family received a letter from Mrs. Caroline Prichard, whose son, Richard Preston Prichard, had also been a second cabin passenger on the Lusitania, and of whom nothing had been or heard of after the sinking. Mrs. Prichard wrote to all the survivors she could trace, seeking information about her son. Thomas Henry Richards replied: -
Colvorry Breage
Helston
Cornwall
Oct. 26 1915
Mrs. Prichard
Dear Friend
I just received your letter of inquiry about your son who was a passenger of the ill fated Lusitania. Well, we had room D.80 2nd cabin. I don’t know where D.90 was located, it might have been quite a good way from us. I don’t remember seeing your son on the voyage. You might think it strange but, we were seeing new faces every day, there being such a number on board. We were taken on the Indian Empire from a small boat at 6 o’clock and got to Queenstown at 10. We were about 120 taken from 4 boats together. And the Indian Empire had picked up some before we were taken on. My oldest boy was among the number. I don’t know that I can give you any information regarding him, I only wish I could. I know there were 2 bodies on the Indian Empire when I go on and two ladies almost dead, one Mrs. Middlemast was our friend Miss Middleton her address is 36 Alderley Ave, Claughton, Birkenhead. You might write to her for information. I had 3 small children on board and did not get acquainted with very many as my time was very much taken up with the children. I lost one of them, but very thankful that I got off with two.
Sorry that I can’t help you.
I remain
Yours truly
Thos. H. Richards
P.S. I don’t think the Indian Empire towed any boats into Queenstown.
No trace of Richard Preston Prichard was ever found.
Back in Colvorry Farm, Thomas Henry and Phyllis Richards had another daughter, whom they named Phyllis Millicent, who, born in 1918, tragically also died young, at the farm, aged only four years, in 1922! On 12th September 1938, Thomas Henry Richards resumed British nationality.
He died at ‘Waverly’ on 18th February 1960, aged 85 years, following an operation to remove a tumour on his left thigh. ‘Waverly’ was then left to his second son and only surviving child, Cecil. Phyllis had died there in 1950.
Before this time, Percy and his wife May (née Tregear) had lived with Mr. and Mrs. Richards at Colvorry Farm, but tragically, Percy had committed suicide in 1949 - a contributory factor to it apparently being traumatic stress sustained during the Lusitania’s sinking.
Like the others, Thomas Henry Richards was buried in the family grave in the churchyard of St. Breaca’s Parish Church in Breage.
The whole family, apart from Cecil, have inscriptions on the headstone which states: -
In Loving Memory of
PHYLLIS MILLICENT
BELOVED CHILD OF T.H. & P. RICHARDS
WHO DIED IN COLVORRY ON NOV. 20TH 1922
AGED 4 YEARS.
ALSO
OF DORA MILLICENT
THEIR BELOVED CHILD WHO
WAS DROWNED THROUGH THE
SINKING OF THE LUSITANIA
MAY 7TH 1915 AGED 20 MONTHS
Suffer The Little Children To Come Unto Me.
ALSO
THOMAS PERCY
BELOVED HUSBAND OF MAY 1908 - 1949
AND OF
PHILLIPA, MOTHER OF THE ABOVE, 1875 - 1950
AND OF
THOMAS HENRY
BELOVED HUSBAND OF PHILLIPA
OF WAVERLEY ASHTON
1874 - 1960
RICHARDS
Cecil died in 1993, so ending the family’s direct connection with the sinking of the Lusitania. The fact that he is not commemorated on the headstone, is probably because being the last family member to die, there was no-one else left to have his
name inscribed with the others!
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1939 Register, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Montana U.S. County naturalization Records 1867 – 1970, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 5590, IWM GB62, Butte Miner, West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Dennis Osbourn, Jean Timmermeister, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.