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| George William Beauchamp | |
|---|---|
 George Beauchamp in 1912 | |
| Born | (1888-03-09)9 March 1888 Totton, England, UK |
| Died | 5 April 1965(1965-04-05) (aged 77) Southampton, UK |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Sailor, fireman stoker |
George William Beauchamp (9 March 1888 – 5 April 1965) was a British sailor who is the only confirmed person to survive the sinkings of RMS Titanic and the RMS Lusitania, two of the biggest maritime disasters of the 20th century. On both ships, Beauchamp worked as a stoker.
Life
He was born in Totton, England, UK, in March 1888, the son of George Beauchamp and Maria Jane Walton. He had five siblings.
Titanic
On the Titanic he was paid £6 a month.
He later recalled that the water was up to his feet. Beauchamp ran topside and positioned on the starboard deck. Beauchamp's boat was later rescued by the Carpathia around 6.30 am.
He said at the British inquiry after the collision, the watertight doors and dampers began to block and that an order came to "stop" (it all). He testified that as a stoker, he was given the order to draw fires in the boilers (the fires that normally kept the ship's steam machinery running). After drawing the fires, he was relieved and escaped using a ladder. He later recalled helping ladies and children into the boats before receiving the order to board lifeboat #13. He said around 60 to 70 people were on board, including many men. He also said the boat had no lantern.
British inquiry
Beauchamp gave evidence at the British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry before counsel Raymond Asquith, where he responded to questions with blunt responses. Excerpts:
"I went ... on to the boat deck and across to the starboard side, I had one foot on the deck and one on the lifeboat and I was helping ladies and children into the lifeboat. We had difficulty keeping the lifeboat away from the ship's side and prevent water coming in."
"We pulled on the oars to get away as far as possible from the suction of the ship as it went down. I saw the ship go down bow first and I could still see the stern and then that went too. It was a roar like thunder as it went down and I heard cries as the ship sank."
"We would have gone back for others but we were full up."
Lusitania
Despite dealing with the Titanic tragedy, George Beauchamp later worked as a stoker on the Lusitania when it sank on May 7, 1915, after it was torpedoed by German U-boat SM U-20.
Later life
George Beauchamp continued to work at sea into the 1920s and beyond. He later served on Cape Mail boats for the Union Line as a fireman.
Later in life, Beauchamp became a docker in Southampton.
He became friends with Bertram Vere Dean, who was the brother of the last Titanic survivor, Millvina Dean.
Death
Beauchamp died in April 1965 at the age of 77.
References
- ^ "George Beauchamp (24)". Opera House Players. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- "George William Beauchamp". Wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- "George William Beauchamp" (PDF). British Titanic inquiry. TItanicandco.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- "Titanic Victims and Survivors Remembered" (PDF). Southampton Local History Files. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- Matsen, Brad (2018). Titanic's Last Secrets. Hachette UK. ISBN 9780446543392.
- ^ Beauchamp, George. "George William Beauchamp". Titanic British Inquiry. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- Wormstedt, Bill; Fitch, Tad (2011). "An Account of the Saving of Those on Board". In Halpern, Samuel (ed.). Report into the Loss of the SS Titanic: A Centennial Reappraisal. Stroud, UK: The History Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-7524-6210-3.
- ^ Austin, Henry (23 April 2019). "The extraordinary story of sailor who survived both Titanic and Lusitania disasters". No. Titanic. Independent.co.uk. Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- "George William Beauchamp : Titanic Survivor". 29 April 2019.
- ^ Jonathan Mayo (2016). Titanic: Minute by Minute. Short Books Limited. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-78072-270-2.