George Maurice was born in Paris, France, on the 22nd January 1872, the son of Samuel and Emma Maurice (née Salomons). Both his parents had been born in London, where his father was a dentist. He was one of seven children.
George qualified as an electrical engineer, and on the 20th September 1911, he married Louise Audrey Bathurst in Ellesmere, Shropshire, and they lived at Foley Lodge, Foley Road, Claygate, Surrey, England, with their one child, Joan, who was born in 1913.
He was a company director, with offices in London, and in March 1915 he had left Liverpool on board the Lusitania, arriving in New York on the 26th on business. He booked his return passage home as a saloon passenger on the same vessel and before he joined her on the morning of 1st May in New York, he stayed at The McAlpine Hotel there. Once on board, with ticket number 46105, he was allocated room D51, which was under the personal supervision of First Class Bedroom Steward Edwin Huther, who came from Liverpool. The liner’s scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure was then delayed until 12,27 p.m., because she had to take on board passengers, cargo, and some of the crew from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been unexpectedly requisitioned by the British Admiralty as a troop ship.
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was sunk by the German submarine U-20, whilst off the coast of southern Ireland. George Maurice was not amongst the survivors, nor was his body ever recovered from the sea and identified. He was aged 43 years.
Administration of his estate was granted to his widow at London on 4th June 1915, and his effects amounted to £6,818-4s-9d, (£6,818.24p).
Bedroom Steward Huther, who had looked after George Maurice in room D51, also lost his life in the sinking and never saw his Liverpool home again.
On 7th January 1916, The General Electric Company Ltd., of Queen Victoria Street, London, wrote a letter to The Cunard Steam Ship Company at their offices in Cockspur Street, London, concerning George Maurice, which stated: -
Dear Sirs,
The Electric Sales Co. of Detroit, U.S.A. have been corresponding with us regarding a certain film which they lent to the late Mr. George Maurice, who was a victim of the Lusitania disaster. They state that this film was lent to him for use in England, the value of which was $950.00.
They have asked us to forward this claim on to your good selves, which they hope you will recognise.
I should feel obliged if you would be good enough to communicate with me in due course,
Yours faithfully,
Not surprisingly, Cunard felt unable to help either The Electric Sales Co. of Detroit or The General Electric Company and intimated so in its reply: -
Thank you for your letter of 7th January. We have noted its contents, but regret we can not help in this matter, as this Company is not liable in the circumstances.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Surrey Advertiser, Surrey Comet, Probate Records, NGMM D/Lus/4/7, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/402, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Lawrence Evans, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.