Joseph Bowden, 46, was an able-bodied seaman of the Lusitania‘s deck crew who survived the Lusitania disaster. He was a British subject from Liverpool, England.
Bowden was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England in 1868, the only son of Joseph and Margaret Bowden. He had a younger sister named Ann, who was born in 1872. He was a professional seaman in the British Mercantile Marine and in 1915 he lived at 20 Almond Street, Toxteth, Liverpool.
He engaged as an able seaman in the Deck Department on board the Lusitania on 12 April 1915 at Liverpool, at a monthly rate of pay of £5-10s-0d, (£5.50), £1-10s-0d, (£1.50) of which was advanced to him at the time. He then reported for duty at 7 am on 17 April, before the liner departed Liverpool for the last time. He had previously served on the White Star liner RMS Arabic.
Having completed the Lusitania’s crossing to New York without mishap, Able Seaman Bowden was still serving on board on the early afternoon of 1 May, as the vessel left New York on the start of what was to be her last Atlantic crossing. Then, six days outward bound and 14 hours away from the safety of her home port, on the afternoon of 7 May, the German submarine U-20 torpedoed and sank the Lusitania within sight of the coast of southern Ireland.
Joseph Bowden survived this disaster, one of 28 deck seamen who did out of the 47 on board when the vessel left New York. Having been rescued from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown, from where he was able to get back to Liverpool.
Once there, he reported to the Cunard office in Water Street and was officially discharged from the Lusitania’s last voyage and given the balance of wages owed to him as a result of it. This amounted to £4-19s-8d, (£4.98) and represented his service from 17 April 1915 until 8 May 1915, 24 hours after the great ship had gone down.
Links of interest
Joseph Bowden at the Merseyside Maritime Museum
Contributors
Lawrence Evans
Peter Kelly, Ireland
Ellie Moffat, UK
References
Register of Births
Marriages and Deaths
1881 Census of England and Wales
1901 Census of England and Wales
Cunard Records
PRO BT 100/345.
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