William Henry Newport was born at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, in 1858, the son of James Newport and Eliza Ann Hammond. His father was a farmer, and his mother described as a servant on his farm. He had an older brother named James Newport.
His parents never married, so when he was born, he was named Henry Newport Hammond, and when he was baptized, he was named Henry William Newport Hammond. In the early years of his life, he used the forenames William, Henry, and Newport in various combinations, and whereas in his early years he was known by the family name of ‘Hammond’, as he grew older, he adopted his father’s family name of ‘Newport’.
In 1864, his father died and his mother married John Cooke, a bricklayers labourer, in 1865. There were no children from this marriage.
As a young teenager, he was employed as a ‘miller’s boy’ in a grain mill, before he became a butler for the Rolle family at Bicton House, near Exmouth, Devon.
In late 1889, while employed as a butler for a wealthy family in Paddington, London, he fathered a child, a son named Harry. The identity of Harry’s mother and whether or not she was married to William Newport at the time of the birth is unknown.
At some point in the mid 1890’s, William came to live in Poulton cum Seacombe, Cheshire, and found employment as a ship’s steward in the British Mercantile Marine. In 1896, he married Elizabeth Dittie in Liverpool. The couple had 5 children – 4 of whom survived childhood, and also residing with them was William’s son, Harry, from his earlier relationship.
In 1915, the family lived at 81, Mary Street, Liscard, Wallasey, Cheshire, and in April of that year, William Newport signed on as a smokeroom steward in the Stewards' Department on board the Lusitania, departing from Liverpool on the 17th April. He was fortunate to be counted amongst the survivors when she sank on the 7th May 1915 as the liner was returning from New York.
For many years after the sinking of the Lusitania, William continued to serve as a ship’s steward, mainly on another Cunarder, the Carmania. Towards the end of his working life, he was serving as a Night Watchman and Night Steward on this vessel.
William Newport died in Liverpool on the 14th November 1928, aged 70 years. He was buried in Liverpool (Allerton) Cemetery, in the same grave as his daughter, Mary, who died on 23rd December 1925, aged 26 years, and his son, Frank, who died on 13th September 1928, aged 28years.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Suffolk Baptism Index 1538 – 1911, England and Scotland Select Cemetery Registers 1800 – 2024, 1861 Census of England, 1871 Census of England, 1881 Census of England, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census for England, 1921 Census of England, Cunard Records, Liverpool Daily Post and Mercury, Wallasey News, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 348, PRO BT 349, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 25th January 2025.