People on board

FLAHERTY, M.

M. Flaherty has been listed as being in the Royal Navy and reported in the newspapers as being a Deckhand member of the crew of RMS Leinster. No further information has been found to support or negate either position. It is possible that he was a Gunner attached to the ship, though the three Gunners have already been identified. He was reported as being from Galway but has not been identified there.

Whatever his position, he was credited with saving the life of Mrs Lucy Plunkett whose sister-in-law died in the sinking. It was reported that both were standing on the deck with their life jackets on when the final torpedo hit the ship and they were flung into the sea. Apparently Mrs Plunkett’s life jacket fell off in the impact because it had been insecurely fastened and she was unable to swim. However a man on a raft was able to reach and catch her before she sank and dragged her on to the raft. On the 12th the Irish Independent reported that she was “anxious to discover the name and address of her brave rescuer to thank him for his efforts.” It was reported in the Tuam Herald on the 26th that “it is satisfactory to note that Flaherty has to his credit the saving of the life of Mrs Plunkett”, having noted that M. Flaherty, a Deckhand, had returned to Galway since the sinking.