William Hughes was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 18th January 1896, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Hughes (née Murphy). While William was still a child, his father, who was a warehouseman, died and his mother re-married. His stepfather was a George Brophy. The family home was at 17, Upper Bute Street, Liverpool, Lancashire.
William Hughes engaged as an assistant cook in the Victualling Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, and reported for duty on the morning of the 17th April 1915, before the liner left Liverpool landing stage for the last ever time to cross the Atlantic Ocean to New York.
Having carried out his duties successfully on the outward journey across the Atlantic Ocean to New York, William Hughes was present on the early afternoon of the 1st May 1915, when the great liner left the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York for what would be her last voyage ever out of the port.
Six days later, on the afternoon of the 7th May, he was killed when the vessel was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, off the coast of southern Ireland and only about fourteen hours steaming time away from the safety of her home port. He was aged 19 years.
His body was not found and identified afterwards and as a consequence, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Liverpool England Catholic Baptisms 1741 – 1919, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/66745, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 17th January 2024.