William York was born in Colchester, Essex, England, in 1881, the son of William and Eliza York (née Palmer). Both of his parents had been previously married with children, but were widowed, and William was the eldest of four known children from his parents’ marriage. His father was a blacksmith and rivet maker and the family home was at 17. Port Lane, Colchester.
After leaving school, William became a linen draper’s assistant and married Kate Ethel Smith in Colchester in 1911. In May 1911, shortly after their marriage, the couple immigrated to Canada, where they settled in Brantford, Ontario. The couple resided at 2. Blossie Street, Parkdale, Brantford, and they had one child, a daughter named Edna, who was born in Brantford on the 12th December 1912.
William York was employed as a shipping clerk for Ham & Notts of Brantford, and
either in 1914 or early 1915; he sent his wife and daughter to England. He then resided at a boarding house at 270. Brock Street, Brantford, until he decided to follow them.
In the spring of 1915, ready to return to England, he booked third class passage on the Lusitania and joined her before she left her berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour just after mid-day on 1st May 1915.
Three weeks later, he was dead, killed after the liner was torpedoed and sunk and as his body was never recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 34 years.
During the summer of 1915, his widow Kate, who was aged 28 years, sought help for herself and Edna from The Lusitania Relief Fund, administered by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and was granted a weekly allowance of £0-10s-0d., (£0.50p.) for herself and £0-2s-6d., (£0.12½p.) for her daughter.
The Brantford Daily Expositor newspaper stated that William York was meeting his sister, who it stated was a missionary in China and was returning to Colchester on holiday, in New York City and that they were sailing home together on the Lusitania, but as no other person named “York” appears on the passenger manifest, this was obviously inaccurate.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Brantford Daily Expositor, Essex Newsman, Liverpool Record Office, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.