Christopher Wolfe was born in 1885 and was raised in Leland Place, off Common Street, North Wall. In 1901 he was working as a quay labourer before signing on board his first ship, as a ‘boy’ on the Duke of Leinster. Christopher moved to Manchester, but when he married Elizabeth Tully in 1910 they returned to Dublin. Living at Jane Place (off Seville Place) he started working for Tedcastles, working as a winchman on the SS Adela.
When he was killed in the sinking of the SS Adela he left behind his wife Elizabeth and their son Christopher, who was only 6 when his father died. Elizabeth would always remember that she hadn’t wanted her husband to sail that day due to the large number of deaths at sea, but he pinched her bum and said “Ah I’m going Liz, the lads will think I’ve swallowed the anchor” (this meant to retire from sea-life and settle down on shore).
Elizabeth lived for many years at East Road, East Wall with her son, his wife and her grandchildren. She never got over the death of Christopher, and her grandchildren remember her urging them to pray for sailors on stormy nights.
