Funeral of the Lusitania Victims

1915
Silent
2m

Queenstown (Cobh), County Cork, mourns the dead of one of WWI's greatest maritime tragedies.

After RMS Lusitania's tragic sinking off Kinsale in Ireland, Queenstown (Cobh) became host to the official ceremonies to bury the dead. We might expect the lines of dignitaries, units of Irish troops, Royal Navy and Army, and the vast crowds who turned out to watch. But this newsreel's final shot of priests reading the burial service over dozens of coffins in a mass grave comes as a shock.

The Lusitania, at one point the world's largest passenger ship, was hit by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland on 7 May 1915. She sank in just 18 minutes, with the loss of 1198 lives.

The Sinking of RMS Lusitania

Remembering one of Britain's worst maritime disasters and a pivotal moment of World War One.

It was the worst maritime disaster of World War I so far: 1,197 souls were lost when the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by German U-boat 20 off Ireland's south coast on the 7th May 1915. The mighty Lusitania, once one of the proudest vessels in Cunard's fleet, took just 18 minutes to sink. The tragedy had profound repercussions on the international stage, sparking anti-German riots in Britain and outrage across the globe. The death of 148 American citizens started a process that ultimately led to neutral America entering the war on the Allied side.

This small collection gathers together films of the Lusitania, from her heyday as one of Britain's most popular luxury liners, to reportage of her sinking and its aftermath, and the official commemorations on the anniversary of the tragedy. The films highlight some of the issues surrounding the disaster, from the personal tragedies to official reactions and the Lusitania's use as a powerful symbol in war propaganda.