Mrs.
CYRIL HERBERT EMANUEL BRETHERTON (NORAH ANNIE KEATING), Second Cabin Passenger
[No Picture Provided]
Norah Annie Keating, 32, was a second-generation Irish born in London,
England. Much of her childhood was spent in Dover, on the southern
English coast. She emigrated to the United States during the summer
of 1910, via Antwerp. She did so to join her fiancé, Cyril
Herbert Emanuel Bretherton (later described as a lawyer/journalist) in
Santa Monica, California, which is near Los Angeles.
In May 1915, Norah was traveling to England on the Lusitania
to introduce her children, Paul, 3, and Elizabeth, 15 months and nicknamed
Betty, to her parents at the time of the disaster. Their second cabin
cabin was C-14. During the voyage, she won the Whist Competition
(a card game organized by Richard Preston Prichard) in Second Class.
Pieced together from the several detailed accounts she left, Norah was
on the stairs between B and C Deck when the explosion came. She retrieved
Elizabeth from a vaguely described "area" on B Deck where she had been left,
and took her to the lifeboats. Her son Paul was still in his cabin,
sleeping, and while on the Boat Deck (A Deck), Norah unsuccessfully tried
to persuade men whom she had known during the voyage to rescue her son,
but none would go below. Thus, Norah was forced to leave Elizabeth
(in her own words, "I forced baby [my] into some man's arms who had got to
the stairs," other accounts claim Elizabeth was left with a officer) and
went below herself.
Norah observed that on C Deck smoke was rising from the floor in her
cabin and in the hallway outside. Returning to the boat deck, she
and Paul were turned away from one boat and nearly barred from a second,
lifeboat #13, but for the intercession of her acquaintance Helen Secchi.
After the sinking Norah placed this advert in the Cork Examiner seeking
news of her daughter:
"MISSING: A baby girl, 15 months old, very fair hair,
curled, rosy complexion, in a white woollen jersey and leggings. Tries to
walk and talk. Name Betty Bretherton. Please send any information to
Miss Browne, Bishop's House, Queenstown."
The Miss Browne in question was a sister of the famed Titanic photographer,
Father Francis Mary Xavier Browne.
Elizabeth's body was recovered on Tuesday, 11 May,
Norah had given up hope of the body being found and had gone to
her home in England. When Elizabeth’s body was recovered she was
buried in a convent in Cork.
Cyril Bretherton, on Norah's behalf, was awarded $7500 for the loss of
Elizabeth and $1500 for the loss of personal effects. Contributor:
Jim Kalafus
Senan Molony
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.
