William McCadden was born in Hutchestown, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 18th February 1872, the son of William and Anne Jane McAdam(née Boyd). His father was a boilermaker, and William was the second eldest of seven children in the family. His family moved to Liverpool, Lancashire, while William was a young child.
After moving to Liverpool, for some unknown reason, the Family changed their name to McAdam!
After completing his education, William became a helper as a boiler maker to his father before joining the British Mercantile Marine as a fireman on steam ships operating out of the port of Liverpool.
William married Julia Ann McCraith in Kirkdale, Liverpool, on the 16th July 1893, and they lived at 25, Rockingham Street, Stanley Road, Liverpool, Lancashire with their
nine children. According to William’s great granddaughter, he had a fine singing voice and was in great demand to sing at family gatherings and parties. He also arranged his children to sing as a choir!
He engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, on the 12th April 1915 at a monthly rate of pay of £6-10s.-0d. (£6.50p.). He reported for duty at 8 a.m. on the 17th April, before the Lusitania left Princess Landing stage for the last time. His previous ship had been the Canadian Pacific steam ship Missanabie.
He was killed when the Cunarder was sunk, three weeks later. He was aged 43 years.
His body was not recovered from the sea and identified afterwards and as a result, his name is embossed on the Mercantile Marine War Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
Eventually, in August 1915, his widow was paid the balance of wages owing to him in respect of his service from the 17th April 1915 until the 8th May; 24 hours after the liner had gone down. The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted a yearly pension to Julia McAdam to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £74-2s.-4d. (£74.11½p.) which was payable at the rate of £6-3s.-7d. (£6.18p.) per month.
In an interview with Granada Television News at a memorial service for relatives of Lusitania crew, held near one of the liner’s original propellers at the Liverpool Maritime Museum on 7th May 1999, Fireman McAdam’s 90 year old daughter Julia Feagan said of her father’s loss: -
My mother had nine children, she was left with nine children and never married afterwards - just stayed with her children.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Scotland Select Births and Baptisms 1564 – 1950, England Select Marriages 1538 – 1973, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Cunard Records. Commonwealth War Grave Commission, UK World War I Pension Records and Index Records 1914 – 1923, Granada Television, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334, PRO BT 351/1/90363, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Julia Feagan, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 31st October 2024.