People on board

CAMPBELL, Eileen Elizabeth Augusta

Eileen Elizabeth Campbell was born in Dublin on the 23rd March 1914 to Colin Campbell, a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and Eileen Knox Browne of Aughmentaine Castle, Co Tyrone. On the birth certificate Colin gave his address as Killyman Rectory, Dungannon where his father was the Rector. It is more likely that the couple were actually living in London where Colin was working for the Admiralty in the Compass Department. He became Superintendent of the Magnetic Compass Branch and, with Dr G T Bennett, invented the Campbell Bennett Aperiodic Compass which delivered greater accuracy in aircraft.

In 1918 the family were living at The Poplars, Langley, close to Slough where the Admiralty Compass Department was based. In October 1918 Colin Campbell travelled to Belfast on Admiralty business and his family accompanied him, presumably to visit their family. They were returning to England on the 10th on RMS Leinster when it was torpedoed. None of the three survived the sinking, but all their bodies were recovered, with Eileen found tightly clasped in her mother’s arms. All were buried in the Military Cemetery at Grangegorman, Dublin.