George Stevens was born in Radnage, Buckinghamshire, England, on the 26th June 1886, the eldest of eight children of Hezekiah and Fanny Stevens (née Stratford). His father was a wood turner.
When his father was appointed as the foreman of a local council road gang, the family moved for a short time to the village of Ellesborough, and then, in 1900, to Princes Risborough, where George was employed as an errand boy, and later a shop assistant in the local grocery shop in the nearby village of Bledlow. His tasks included the slaughtering of pigs to provide pork and bacon for the shop.
Seeking a better life, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Quebec, Canada, in July 1912 on board the Victorian from Liverpool. He travelled overland to Carroll, Manitoba, where he worked for a number of months on a farm, and then, on the 29th November 1912, he crossed over the border, into the United States of America, where he settled in Olean, New York, where he found employment in a meat processing plant. One of his younger brothers, Walter, joined him May 1913.
George didn’t settle in Olean and decided to immigrate to Australia where he hoped to establish a sheep farm. Following the death of his father in the autumn of 1914, he decided that before going to Australia, he would return to England to see his mother and siblings.
Consequently, he booked third class passage on the Lusitania and travelled to New York City in time to board the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 on the morning of 1st May 1915. He then had to wait until just after noon before she actually left the harbour.
This was because she had to wait to embark crew, passengers and cargo from the requisitioned Anchor Liner Cameronia, which the British Admiralty had taken up from trade for use as a troop ship at the end of April. Then, just six days later, in the early afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20, when she was twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland, and only about 250 miles away from the safety of her Liverpool home port. She sank only eighteen minutes later!
George Stevens was fortunate to survive the action, and having been rescued from the sea, he was landed in Queenstown, from where he sent a telegram to his mother confirming that he was safe. He was aged 27 years.
He arrived at his home in Princes Risborough on the 10th May, and was interviewed by a reporter from the Bucks Herald, which published the story in their edition of the 15th May: -
… They had dinner and went on deck again. It was by that time bright and
clear. He and a chum ha a smoke and then went down into their cabin to have a sleep (they were just underneath the refrigerator), intending to get up again about four o’clock, and then prepare for landing. He had just closed his eyes when the ship was struck by the torpedo. He jumped up and said “My God, Jack, she has got it!” That was the last time he saw his mate, who was lost. He grabbed a lifebelt from the top himself, and ran up on deck. He took things very quietly and, looking round, saw one boat full of people. The rope broke and they were thrown into the water. He got on top of the funnel deck and saw nothing, so came down and lost himself. Walking along he saw one boat lying smashed up. Others were full. At length he saw a boat with room for him and he called “Look out, I am going to jump.” He did so, and landed safely in the boat, which was about thirty feet below the deck where he was. The boat was No. 13. He had an oar and they pushed from the ship, which about three minutes afterwards went down. They picked up some more people who were floating around, amongst them being an old man about 70 years of age, also a woman between 60 and 70. The Storm Cock (sic.) picked them up about 9.15 and they were conveyed to Queenstown, it being then past ten o’clock. They stayed at the hotel and were well treated, the people being very good to them. When in Queenstown he met another chum of his who was on deck when the torpedo struck the ship. He travelled to Dublin and then across to Holyhead and Liverpool, arriving safe at home about ten on Monday evening.
On the 17th September 1915, George enlisted in the Royal Marines, and on the 30th December 1916, married Annette Laura Boggust at St. Johns Church, Kensal Green, London, while he was on leave. His wife was working in a munitions factory at the time of their marriage.
He was demobilised in July 1919, and by now he and his wife had a daughter, and so he gave up on the idea of immigrating to Australia, returning with his wife and daughter to Princes Risborough, where he was to remain for the remainder of his life.
George and his wife had four children – Irene, George, Clifford and Geoffrey, and lived for many years at 1. Havelock Cottages, Poppy Road, Princes Risborough, which had been the home of George’s parents.
According to his grandson, Nicholas Stevens, George worked in the local furniture factory and the Austin Hoy & Company, mining equipment factory in High Wycombe, however, he also worked as a grocer’s assistant for a time. He was a founding member of the Royal British Legion branch in Princes Risborough. During the Second World War, he served in the local unit of the Home Guard.
George Stevens died on the 6th October 1962, aged 76 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, London England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1936, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, 1939 Register, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to U.S. 1895 – 1960, Cunard Records, Bucks Herald, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Nicholas Stevens, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.