Engineer Lieutenant Edward Archibald Rice Larmour was born on the 1st of February 1880 in Belfast, the only son of Edward and Annabella Larmour (née Park).

When his parents married on the 13th of December 1874 at St Thomas Church, Belfast his father was already a widower. His first wife Hannah Williams was only 27 years of age when she died in December 1870. Edward and Hannah had two children; Elizabeth Eleanor and James Alexander.

Edward and Annabella had two daughters, Alice Jane and Margaret Helena, but in October 19th 1879, when Annabella was pregnant with her first son, Edward Archibald Rice, her husband died. The death was very sudden. The record states the cause of death as “exhaustion accelerated by organic affection and shock to the nervous system”. His children’s birth records tell us he was a newspaper reporter.

Four years later, on the 19th of December 1883, Annabella married David Steele, a draper from County Down. At the time of the 1901 census Edward Archibald was living at My Lady’s Road Belfast with his stepfather David, mother Annabella, sister Alice Jane and three half siblings Thomas, Agnes and George. He was working as an engine fitter.

After serving his apprenticeship at Harland and Wolff he entered the service of the White Star Line, joining the crew of the Majestic, and later the Oceanic and Olympic before being transferred to the Laurentic when he was appointed to the Royal Naval Reserve at the end of 1914.

 

In 1907 Edward married Johanna Margretha (Peggy) Nielsen in West Derby.  In 1907, White Star’s main terminal was moved from Liverpool to Southampton and, on 26 June, Majestic sailed from these new facilities for the first time. This is probably why, when the census was taken in April 1911, Johanna was living in Southampton. At the time of Edward’s death the couple were living at 8 Chatsworth Avenue, Orrell Park, Liverpool.

Edward’s body was never recovered. He is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial and on his family gravestone in Dundonald Cemetery, Belfast. Johanna never remarried and passed away on he 23rd of April 1952 in Wallasey, Wirral.

Laurentic Officer Lost
Engineer Lieutenant E. A. R. Larmour, who was lost on H.M.S. Laurentic, was a son of the late Edward Larmour, Esq., and Mrs D. Steele, Belfast. After serving his apprenticeship at Messrs. Harland and Wolff he joined the White Star liner Majestic, and later the Oceanic, Olympic and ill fated Laurentic. He received his commission in 1914. He married Miss J. M. Nielsen, elder daughter of the late Captain Nielsen, of the Johnston liner Noranmore, who was lost in the Black Sea.
The Liverpool Echo 7th Feb 1917

Belfast Officers Drowned
Engineer-Lieut. Edward Larmour was a son of the late Mr. Edward larmour and Mrs. Steele, 45 My Lady’s Road, Belfast, who received a telegram from the Admiralty today informing her that her boy had been lost in the disaster. Deceased, who was 38 years of age, and was the third engineer in seniority of the ship, entered the service of the White Star Line from that of Messrs. Harland and Wolff, where he served his time. On being appointed to the R.N.R. her was transferred from the Olympic to the Laurentic, and after two years service on the latter was home on leave a few weeks ago. His wife resides at Aintree, Liverpool.
Larne Times Feb 3rd 1917

Sources:-
Irish civil records of births, death and marriage: http://www.irishgenealogy.ie
Irish census 1901: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie
Ireland’s memorial records 1914-1918: : being the names of Irishmen who fell in the great European war, 1914-1918. Early Printed Books, Trinity College Library, Dublin.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
http://www.gro.gov.uk
Norway Heritage: http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=maje1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Majestic_(1889)

 

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