Thomas ‘Tommy’ Laffey was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 2nd March 1888, the son of Peter and Elizabeth Mary "Lizzie" Laffey (née Kelly). His father, who was a quarry labourer, died within a few weeks of his birth, leaving Tommy’s mother to raise five children.
After finishing his schooling, Tommy joined the Mercantile Marine as a fireman on steam ships operating out of Liverpool.
Tommy married Bridget Burke in Liverpool on the 3rd May 1908, and in 1915, they lived at 1, May Smith Place, Dryden Street, Liverpool. They had three children, although one of them died in infancy.
On the 12th April 1915, at Cunard’s offices in Liverpool, he engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania at a monthly rate of pay of £6-10s.-0d. (£6.50p.). He was advanced £1-0s.-d. of this at the time and he reported on board five days later at 8 a.m., in time for the liner’s last exit from the River Mersey.
The liner crossed the Atlantic without incident and having docked in New York on the 24th April 1915, eventually left there a week later, on the early afternoon of the 1st May, for her return to Liverpool. Then, six days later, on the afternoon of the 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland. At that time, she was only about 250 miles away from the safety of her home port.
Unfortunately, Thomas Laffey was killed as a result of this action - one of nearly 100 firemen who lost their lives in the sinking - and as his body was not recovered and identified afterwards, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial to the Missing of the Great War at Tower Hill, in London. He was aged 27 years.
In August 1915, his widow Bridget received 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. In addition, The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted her a yearly pension to compensate her for the loss of her husband. This amounted to £56-6s.-1d. (£56.30½p.) which was payable at the rate of £4-13s.-11d. (£4.69½p.) per month.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, Liverpool England Catholic Marriages 1854 – 1933, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/78691, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Ethel Turner, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 14th February 2024.