Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Cobh Old Church Cemetery | Grave 474 | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.129 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 25A GQS | |
| 4. Memorial: | Tower Hill Memorial | London | |
| 5. Memorial: | Liverpool Masonic Hall War Memorial | Col.3. Hope St. | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
For a detailed biography see more at Liverpool Museums.Son of Charles William and Agnes Theresa McDermott, of 42, Radnor Drive, Wallasey, Cheshire. Born at Cork.
"Dr. James Farrell McDermott, age 38. He was the Surgeon on the Lusitania. He was born 19 July 1876 at Cork and was the son of Charles William and Agnes Theresa (nee Hurley) McDermott, of 42, Radnor Drive, Wallasey, Cheshire. In 1901, he lived at ”house 10” in Skahabeg North, Blackrock, Cork, with his family. He was 23 years of age and was described as an ‘Undergraduate Royal University and Medical Student.’ His father Charles W., 58, was noted as an examiner of Masters and Mates and a Superintendent of the Board of Trade; he was a native of Canada. His mother Agnes was 50 and was a native of City Cork. He had one brother; Charles Stewart Parnett, who also was an Undergraduate Royal University and Medical Student (the brother, however, seems to have been registered as Charles William McDermott, b. 18 January 1880 at Cork). Also present in the household was Timothy J. Ahern, a provision merchant aged 46, who was Charles McDermott’s brother-in-law. They also had a ‘General Domestic Servant’ living with the family; Norah Lordan, 21. From 1908 to 1910, he was serving as a member of the crew on the Ivernia and on the Saxonia. Dr. McDermott did not survive the sinking of the Lusitania. His remains were recovered and identified (No. 200) and he was buried at Cobh Old Church Cemetery on May 17 in a Private Grave, Row 15, No. 4. In his will, he left £1169 16s 9d to his father Charles William McDermott, who was described as a retired civil engineer."
See also: "Peter's Lusitania Pages".
Education & Career :
Doctor of Medicine, Liscard (1912).
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: SS Lusitania |
Cunard Line Steamer. |
| Action : RMS Lusitania, Sinking of |
The Royal Navy had blockaded Germany at the start of World War I. Having completed her voyage to New York on 24 April, the Lusitania left the Cunard berth at Pier 54 just after midday on 1 May 1915 on the return voyage to Liverpool. When RMS Lusitania left New York for Britain, German submarine warfare was intensifying in the Atlantic. Germany had declared the seas around the United Kingdom a war zone, and the German embassy in the United States had placed a newspaper advertisement warning people of the dangers of sailing on Lusitania.
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7 May the German U-boat U-20, captained by Kapitaenleutnant Walther Schwieger torpedoed Lusitania, 11 mi (18 km) off the southern coast of Ireland and inside the declared war zone. A second, unexplained, internal explosion sent her to the seabed in 18 minutes, with the deaths of 1,198 passengers, including almost a hundred children, and crew.
Because the Germans sank, without warning, what was officially a non-military ship, many accused them of breaching the internationally recognised Cruiser Rules. It was no longer possible for submarines to give warning due to the British introduction of Q-ships in 1915 with concealed deck guns. (Lusitania had been fitted with 6-inch gun mounts in 1913, although she was unarmed at the time of her sinking.) [Wikipedia]
Detail :
Portrait Image: Wallasey News, May 1915.
McDERMOTT, J. F. Crew: surgeon. Body recovered and identified as of Friday, May 14. Buried in a private grave in Queenstown. (Hickey/Smith, pages 125, 286) Per the list of interments at Cobh, Dr. James Farrell McDermott was body #200, age 37 years, grave #474.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lodge of Israel No. 1502 E.C. | West Lancashire |
| Joined : | Abercromby No. 3699 E.C. | West Lancashire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
17th June 1912 | - | - |
Initiated into the Lodge of Israel No, 1502, but joined Abercromby Lodge No. 3699 in 1914 a month after its consecration.
Both Lodge record "Drowned in the Lusitania".
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley