Arthur George Shepperson was born in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, England, on the 6th October 1886, the son of Charles and Martha Shepperson (née Rowell). His father was a farmer and the family home was the Manor House in Whittlesey.
In April 1905, arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, on board the Bavarian, stating it was his intention to travel to Winnipeg, Manitoba. It appears that he did go to Winnipeg, however, in August 1906, he crossed the border at Vermont, in the United States of America, stating he was no longer a farmer, but now a labourer. It is thought that he then settled in Superior, Wisconsin.
In 1908, he returned to England, but obviously didn’t settle there, as in April 1910, he arrived in New York City on board the St. Paul. He stated it was his intention to return to Superior, but instead he found employment as a timekeeper with an unknown company in New York City.
In October 1913, he boarded the President at Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and sailed to San Francisco, California. It is not known where he was, or what he was doing, between 1910 and 1913, but on reaching California, he became a movie actor!
In the spring of 1915, however, he decided to travel to Great Britain to carry out his patriotic duty and enlist in the British Army. As a result, he travelled by rail to New York City where he booked third class passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool. He arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54, on the west side of New York City, on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for the liner’s scheduled 10 o’clock departure. Once on board, he then had to wait until 12.27 p.m. before the liner actually sailed, because she had to embark passengers, some crew and some of the cargo from the Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war service as a troop ship at the end of April. Once on board, he made friends with Alex McCallum, Herbert K. Johnson, William Muirhead, and Thomas Dhenin, who had his wife and two children with him, all of whom were intending to enlist when they reached England.
Then, six days out of New York on the afternoon of 7th May, and within sight of the
coast of southern Ireland, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, only about fourteen hours steaming time away from the safety of her Liverpool home port and destination.
Arthur Shepperson survived this action and having been rescued from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown and taken straight to hospital, so he must have suffered injury or distress as a result of the sinking. He was discharged from there by 10th May, however, and then presumably set out for his original intended destination on the British mainland. He was aged 28 years at the time of his ordeal.
Alex McCallum and Thomas Dhenin’s wife and children were lost in the sinking, but the others survived.
Arthur Shepperson went to the home of his parents, who were now retired, and living at 192a. Hollingdean Terrace, Ditchling Road, Brighton, Sussex. Having sufficiently recovered from his ordeal, he enlisted in the British Army at Brighton, on the 2nd June 1915.
Initially, he was assigned to the Sussex Regiment, and was sent to Alexandria, Egypt, in February 1916, where he served with the 1st Sussex Yeomanry. He was given five weeks compassionate leave and returned to England in March 1916, following the death of his father, and returned to Alexandria in July 1916. In December 1916, he transferred to the 16th Bn. of The Royal Sussex Regiment, and finally, in May 1918, he transferred to the Labour Corps. He returned to England and was demobilised in Nottingham in September 1919.
Immediately on being discharged from the British Army, Arthur Shepperson boarded the Saturnia in Glasgow, and disembarked in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. From there, he travelled on to Los Angeles, California.
On the 9th July 1923, he married Alvina Margaret Schroetke in Los Angeles, and the couple had no children. For a time, Arthur worked as a houseman at a hotel in Los Angeles, before moving to San Bernardino, where he owned a filling station. His wife died on the 4th December 1952, and sometime later, he married Mary Lillus Wheeler, who was a widow and whose first husband, Clifford M. Zenor, had died in 1949. The couple resided at 579. South I Street, San Bernardino.
Arthur George Shepperson died in San Bernardino, California, on the 3rd September 1970, aged 83 years, and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery, San Bernardino, beside his wife.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, California County Birth Marriage and Death Records 1849 – 1980, California U.S. Death Index 1940 – 1997, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1920 U.S. Federal Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1940 U.S. Federal Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to U.S. 1895 – 1956, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, California Passenger Records 1882 – 1959, Cunard Records, British Army WW1 Pension Records 1914 – 1920, UK Silver War Badge Records 1914 – 1920, U.S. Naturalization Records 1840 – 1957, San Bernardino County Sun, PRO BT 100/345, UNiLiv.D92/1/8-10, UniLiv D92/2/50, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.