George Nicoll was born in Forfar, Forfarshire, Scotland, in 1888, the son of James Bruce and Mary Nicholls (née Petrie) of 70. Peddie Street, Dundee. George was the youngest of two children, having an older sister named, Agnes. His father was a house painter and decorator.
He was employed at the Tay Bridge Station Bookstall in Dundee, but in October 1912, he went to the United States of America and took up work as a clerk in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his sister, Mrs. Agnes Smith, already lived with her husband James, at 225, North Craighton Street. He returned to his home in Scotland in 1914 for a brief holiday.
In 1915, George Nicoll’s home was at 5138, Funston Street, Philadelphia. He was also a voluntary physical training instructor at the Central Y.M.C.A. in Arch Street, Philadelphia.
Before he left Scotland, he became engaged to a Miss Margaret Todd, who also came from Dundee and in early 1915, rather than have her go out to Philadelphia he decided to return home, to marry her there and to visit his parents at the same time. Another account states that he had decided to return to Dundee to enlist in the British Army!
Before he left Philadelphia, his sister tried to dissuade him from travelling because of the possibility of German submarine attack, and having told him that he would be in danger, his reply was: -
“Perhaps I will, but I think it’s worthwhile to take a chance, for I can see our parents, who are getting along in years, and marry Margaret at the same time.”
As a result of this decision, he booked second cabin passage on the Lusitania and having left Philadelphia at the end of April, he joined her at the Cunard Pier in New York harbour, on the morning of 1st May 1915. The liner’s scheduled departure at 10.00 a.m., was then delayed until the early afternoon, because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the S.S. Cameronia, which had been taken up from trade by the British Admiralty for use as a troopship. George Nicoll occupied berth 4 in cabin E98, a cabin he shared with Lewis F. Yardley, Charles H. Stevens, and Thornton Jackson.
Six days later, George Nicoll was dead, killed after the liner was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that time the Cunarder was only twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool destination. Thus he never saw his fiancé, his family, or his native Scotland again!
As his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 27 years. All of the occupants of cabin E98 perished in the sinking.
Pathetically, The Public Ledger - Philadelphia, reported in its edition of 9th May 1915: -
Mrs. Agnes Smith ..... was overcome with grief yesterday afternoon when she learned that the name of her brother George Nicoll, continued to be among the missing passengers of the ill-fated liner. “My brother was on his way to Dundee, Scotland to be married.” she said. “Our parents were to meet him there, too. He was engaged to marry Miss Margaret Todd of Dundee.”.
Mrs. Smith eagerly purchased each edition of the several evening newspapers, hoping against hope that her brother’s name might be printed among those saved. But with each disappointment, her hopes sank.
“George knew that it was dangerous to sail on that ship,” she said. “I warned him, bit he only laughed and said he wasn’t afraid.”
1891 Census of Scotland, 1901 Census of Scotland, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Evening Telegraph, New York Times, Philadelphia Public Ledger, Tragedy of the Lusitania, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/186, UniLiv D92/2/200, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Stuart Williamson, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.