Violet Neilson was born in Norway in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Sometime before May 1915, she had entered the United States of America and either her entry was illegal, she had failed the minimum medical requirements for a permanent stay, or whilst there, she had committed some violation of the country’s civil or criminal code. As a result, she was sentenced to be deported from the United States, with the government almost certainly paying the bill for her passage.
Consequently, she was put on board the Lusitania at her berth at Pier 54 in New York, probably on the morning of 1st May 1915 and almost certainly by the local authorities, as a third class passenger. As the liner was bound for England, then it is likely that she had entered from that country, or arrived on a British ship. It is possible, also that she put in the custody of either of the two ship’s Masters at Arms on board - Peter Smith or William Williams - and may have been locked up in the ship’s brig, rather than having free run of the ship, at least until she had sailed!
This sailing, which should have commenced at 10.00 a.m. on that morning, was delayed until just after mid-day, because the Lusitania had to wait to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Lines vessel the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war service as a troop ship.
Then, six days out of New York on the afternoon of 7th May, and within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, the Cunarder was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that time, she was only about fourteen hours sailing time away from her Liverpool destination.
There were four other deported passengers on board the liner at the time she went down, Miss Sarah King, Mr. Robert Molloy, Mr. Ajunnar Nikander and Mr. Patrick Sheedy and they all perished. Only Miss Neilson from the deported passengers managed to survive.
Because of this, it is likely that she was not imprisoned when the liner sank, but if this was the case, then it is likely that none of them was actually imprisoned.
Cunard Records, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.