Sinking of the RMS Lusitania May 17, 1915
On My Walk: Remembering Agnes Hill and Frank Rogers – Victims of the RMS Lusitania Tragedy
On my recent walk at Forest Lawn Mausoleum in Toronto (located at Yonge Street and Highway 401), I discovered the final resting place of Agnes Hill and Frank Rogers, two Torontonians who were aboard the RMS Lusitania when it was tragically torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915—a pivotal event that would ultimately push the United States into World War I.
The RMS Lusitania, a marvel of its era, was launched in 1906 by the Cunard Line. At 787 feet in length, she was one of the largest and fastest ocean liners in the world and once held the coveted Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing—until her sister ship, RMS Mauretania, surpassed her.
On the afternoon of May 7, 1915, while just 11 miles (18 km) off the southern coast of Ireland, the Lusitania entered the declared war zone and was struck by a torpedo from German U-boat U-20. A devastating second explosion followed, and the ship sank in just 18 minutes. Of the 1,962 people on board, 1,198 perished—including Agnes Hill and Frank Rogers.
The tragedy deeply shocked the world. Among the victims were 128 American citizens, which stirred public outrage in the United States. Though America would not formally enter the war until 1917, the sinking of the Lusitania was one of the key catalysts that shifted public opinion and helped tip the balance toward war.
Interestingly, a 1982 expedition to the Lusitania wreck site revealed that she had deteriorated significantly faster than the Titanic—a result of her relatively shallow resting place at 305 feet, compared to Titanic’s 12,000-foot depth.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking on May 7, 2015, Cunard’s MS Queen Victoria sailed to Cork, Ireland, where a solemn ceremony was held to honour the memory of those lost—including Toronto’s Agnes Hill and Frank Rogers.
Footnote:
Timothy Eaton, founder of Eaton’s Department Stores in Canada, daughter, Josephine Smyth Eaton, survived the sinking of RMS Lusitania off the Irish coast in 1915. His granddaughter, Iris Burnside, was lost in that sinking.
