Matthew Orr Gibson was born in Anderston, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the 31st August 1866, the eldest son, and one of twelve children, of Thomas Bowe and Jane Ramsey Gibson (née Orr). In 1915, he lived at 26, Sardinia Terrace, Hillhead, Glasgow, Lanarkshire. He was part of the family firm of Gibson Brothers & Co., Ltd., firstly of St. Mirrens Mills, Paisley, Renfrewshire, and later of Pollokshaws, Glasgow, Lanarkshire. The firm manufactured textiles, especially curtain material.
Matthew Gibson was a frequent traveller to the United States of America, where he conducted business on behalf of his company from at least 1903. In the spring of 1915, he went to conduct business with Messrs. Thomas Young of 42, White Street, New York, and for his return to Glasgow, he had booked as a saloon passenger on the Anchor Lines
Cameronia, which was due to sail from New York City to Glasgow on Saturday, 1st May.
Shortly before sailing, and with very little notice, the Cameronia was requisitioned by the British Admiralty as she was required to go to Canada and embark Canadian troops to transport to the Western Front theatre of war in Europe. Consequently, Matthew Gibson and a number of other passengers, along with some of the crew of the
Cameronia, were offered accommodation on the Lusitania, which they gladly accepted as the
Lusitania was a much bigger and faster liner than the Cameronia, and would have them across the Atlantic Ocean four days earlier than if they had sailed on the
Cameronia.
He boarded the liner on the morning of 1st May 1915, with ticket number 13432, and was allocated room B2, which was under the personal care of First Class Bedroom Steward William H. Williams, who came from Liverpool.
Exactly six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, Matthew Gibson was killed as a result of the torpedoing of the vessel by the German submarine
U-20. At that time, she was only twelve miles off the southern coast of Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool home port. As no trace of his body was ever found afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 48 years.
A memorial service for him was held at Hillhead Baptist Church, Elliot Street, Glasgow, on 15th May 1915. He is remembered on the gravestone over the graves of his parents at Compartment Epsilon, Lair 528, at Glasgow Necropolis.
When his will was proven at London on 7th September 1915, administration was granted jointly to David Smith MacPherson and Robert MacPherson, accountants, and Charles Robert Gibson, textile manufacturer, who was one of his brothers. His estate amounted to £6,707-4s.-10d. (£6,707.24p.).
Bedroom Steward Williams who had looked after Mathew Gibson in room B2, did survive the sinking, however; and eventually returned home to Liverpool.
Scotland Select Births and Baptisms 1564 – 1950, 1871 Scotland Census, 1881 Scotland Census, 1891 Scotland Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Probate Records, Glasgow Herald, The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv. PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Alan Gibson, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.