Mr. Peter McNally, Seaman

Peter McNally (1894 – 1915), 21, was a seaman employed in the deck department of the Lusitania on the ship’s final voyage. Peter McNally was killed when the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 on 7 May 1915.

Peter McNally was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, in 1894.  He was a professional seaman in the mercantile marine and lived at 12, Alexander Street, Walton, Liverpool.  This was also the address of fellow seaman H. Lockett, so it may have been a lodging house or simply McNally‘s home address as Lockett originally came from Crewe in Cheshire.

He signed on board the Lusitania at Liverpool on 12 April 1915 as a seaman in the Deck Department, at a monthly rate of pay of £5-10-0d, (£5.50p.).  On engagement, £1-10s-0d, (£1.50p.) of this sum was advanced to him.  He sailed with the vessel when she left the River Mersey for the last time, on the morning of 17 April, for New York.

Three weeks later, on the afternoon of 7 May, when the vessel was on her return trip to Liverpool, he was killed after she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20.  He was aged 21years.  At the time, the Lusitania was only twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her destination.

Seaman McNally’s body was not recovered and identified afterwards and as a result, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.

The balance of wages owing to him was eventually paid to his family in Liverpool in August 1915.  This was in respect of his service from 17 April 1915, until 8 May, 24 hours after the liner had foundered.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission records show his rank as that of able seaman, but those of The Cunard Steam Ship Company, compiled at the time of his engaging and published in March 1916, are more likely to be accurate.

Links of interest


Peter McNally at the Merseyside Maritime Museum

Contributors
Peter Kelly, Ireland
Ellie Moffat, UK

References
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Cunard Records

PRO BT 100/345

PRO BT 334

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