Titanic

Chief Officer Thomas Hankinson
- Livepool and the Allan Line

"Liverpool Quay by Moonlight in 1887," the year Hankinson moved his family from Freeport Nova Scotia to Liverpool, as painted by Atkinson Grimshaw, 1836-1893. (Credit: Tate Britain).

In 1887, shortly after the birth of his daughter Lilly in Freeport, 30 year old Thomas Hankinson decided to move the family to England to take advantage of what he saw as the future of a merchant sailor: steam. They settled in the Liverpool area, the hub of the trans-Atlantic route from Europe.

On the 15th of December 1889 they welcomed their first child to be born in England, David Arnold (1889–1954) and in 1891 Hankinson joined the Royal Navy Reserve as a Sub-Lieutenant, with their address listed as 13 Hawthorn Grove, Seaforth, Liverpool.

In 1891 he joined the Allan Line. This occurred at the same time as he joined the Royal Naval Reserve as a Sub-Lieutenant, so is likely connected. His first Allan ship was the Sardinian, working on her in the capacity of second mate (except one voyage in 1894 when he was recorded as third mate) between 1891 and 1894. During these years the Sardinian was making crossings from Liverpool to Quebec, Portland, Halifax, and Montreal (norwayheritage.com) Hugh McElroy is reported to have also sailed aboard the Sardinian in the late 1890s (See McElroy biography here)

Hankinson's first Allan Line ship was the Sardinian, a 4,375grt single-screw steamer was launched at Robert Steel & Company's Cartsburn Shipyard in June 1874.

Hankinson also embarked on regular Royal Naval Reserve training from 1892 aboard the HMS Eagle, a local training ship used for drilling RNR sailors. His RNR records show 7 day regular stations aboard HMS Eagle between 1.3.92 and 3.3.05.

In-between working aboard the Sardinian and his RNR training, Hankinson also experienced a close family tragedy. He lost his mother, Mary Hannah, who had joined them and living in Litherland, Liverpool, on the 29th November 1893. Only a few months later the 36 year old was to encounter even worse when his one year old daughter Hazel Olive - born on the 9th of January 1893 - was to die only 20 days after her first birthday, on the 28th of January 1894. He buried his mother, and then 1 year old daughter in Kirkdale Cemetary, Liverpool, with the inscription reading: "In Loving memory of my dear mother, aged 68, also Hazel Olive aged 1."

The Hankinson family plot, in which his mother and 1 year old daughter are buried. With the inscription reading: "In Loving memory of my dear mother, aged 68, also Hazel Olive aged 1." Image courtesy of Robert Anderson/Findagrave.com (Click image to enlarge)

Later in 1894 there was good news: the birth of another daughter, Margherita Hankinson (1894–1973). At the time his RNR records place the family living at 37 Eaton Avenue, Liverpool.