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George Beauchamp (sailor)

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George William Beauchamp
George Beauchamp in 1912
Born(1888-03-09)9 March 1888
Died5 April 1965(1965-04-05) (aged 77)
CitizenshipUnited 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Beauchamp died in April 1965 at the age of 77.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "George Beauchamp (24)". Opera House Players. Retrieved 26 May 2019.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "George William Beauchamp". Wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  3. ^ "George William Beauchamp" (PDF). British Titanic inquiry. TItanicandco.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Titanic Victims and Survivors Remembered" (PDF). Southampton Local History Files. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  5. ^ Matsen, Brad (2018). Titanic's Last Secrets. Hachette UK. ISBN 9780446543392.
  6. ^ a b c d e Beauchamp, George. "George William Beauchamp". Titanic British Inquiry. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "George William Beauchamp : Titanic Survivor". 29 April 2019.
  10. ^ a b Jonathan Mayo (2016). Titanic: Minute by Minute. Short Books Limited. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-78072-270-2.
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