George Beauchamp (sailor)
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George William Beauchamp | |
|---|---|
 George Beauchamp in 1912 | |
| Born | 9 March 1888 |
| Died | 5 April 1965 (aged 77) Southampton, UK |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Sailor, fireman stoker |
George William Beauchamp (9 March 1888[1][2][3] – 5 April 1965[4]) was a British sailor and Titanic survivor. On the ship, he worked as a stoker and was rescued in Boat #13 (ordered on board by an officer to handle an oar), which launched from the vessel at 1:40 am, shortly before the sinking.
Life[edit]
He was born in Totton, England, UK, in March 1888, the son of George Beauchamp and Maria Jane Walton. He had five siblings.[1][5]
Titanic[edit]
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.[6][7]
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.[6]
British inquiry[edit]
Beauchamp gave evidence at the British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry before counsel Raymond Asquith,[8][6] where he responded to questions with blunt responses.[6] 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[ing] 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."[6][8]
Lusitania[edit]
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[edit]
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.[9]
Later in life, Beauchamp became a docker in Southampton.[10]
He became friends with Bertram Vere Dean, who was the brother of the last Titanic survivor, Millvina Dean.[1]
Death[edit]
Beauchamp died in April 1965 at the age of 77.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "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. 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.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b Jonathan Mayo (2016). Titanic: Minute by Minute. Short Books Limited. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-78072-270-2.