Lady HUGH MONTAGU ALLAN (MARGUERITE
ETHEL MacKENZIE), Saloon Class Passenger
image: Daily
Mirror, May 1915.
Courtesy Jim Kalafus.
Marguerite, Lady Allan, 42, was from Montréal, Canada. She
was born as Marguerite Ethel Mackenzie and married Sir Hugh Montagu Allan,
born 13 October 1860, one of the managing directors of the Allan Line
of steamships, on 18 Oct 1893. Their first-born was a daughter,
Mauguerite Martha, born in 1895. Their only son, Hugh, named after
his father and grandfather before him, followed quickly thereafter. Anna Marjory was born to the Allans on 8 November
1898. Another daughter, Gwendolyn Evelyn,
was born on 20 April 1900.
Prominent in Montréal society, Marguerite was sailing on
the Lusitania with Anna, 16, and Gwen, 15, to be reunited with
family. Also traveling with them were maids Emily Davis and Annie
Walker, 30. During the voyage, Lady Allan was seen playing cards in
the smoking room with Sir Hugh Lane and Dr. Frederick Pearson.
At the time of the torpedo's impact, Lady Allan was in the lounge
with her daughters, Sir Frederick Orr-Lewis, Dorothy Braithwaite, and Robert Holt.
They gathered on the portside where Sir Frederick's valet, George Slingsby, and Lady Allan's maids
joined them. One of the maids came with two lifebelts. Slingsby
gave his lifebelt to one of Marguerite's daughters. Dorothy separated
from them in the crowd and was last seen near lifeboat #14.
Marguerite jumped into the water with her daughters and Sir Frederick
after "saying that they would die together" (Hoehling/Hoehling, 210).
Both of her daughters died, but her maids survived. Lady
Allan’s collarbone was broken and her back was injured while in the
water. It was previously suggested that a falling mast had broken
her collarbone, but this is unlikely presuming that Lady Allan was on the
portside of the ship, whereas the mast fell to starboard. Preston
mentions, however, that the force of the second explosion had thrown Lady
Allan against a rail and that might have caused the fracture.
Lady Allan was picked up by the Katrina (the SS Westborough
in disguise) and later taken to a hospital in Dublin. Gwen’s body,
#218, was recovered by May 16 and sent back to Canada. Anna’s body
was never found. Sir and Lady Allan later lost their son Hugh
in 1917 when he was flying over German lines. Their only surviving
daughter, Marguerite Martha, died in 1942.
Sir Montagu Allan passed away on 26 September 1951. Lady Marguerite
Allan passed away on 9 (6?) Sept 1957. They both outlived all four
of their children.
Contributors:
Randy Bryan Bigham
Michael Poirier
Judith Tavares
Hildo Thiel
References:
Hickey, Des and Gus Smith. Seven Days to Disaster.
G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1981.
Hoehling, A. A. and Mary Hoehling. The Last Voyage
of the Lusitania. Madison Books, 1956.
Preston, Diana. Lusitania: An
Epic Tragedy. Berkley Books, 2002.
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