Frederic John ‘Fred’ Gauntlett was born in Knightsbridge, London, England, on the 1st January 1870, the son of Charles and Georgina Gauntlett (née Davis). His father was employed as a domestic servant, and Fred was the third eldest child in the family, residing at 28. Hill Street, Knightsbridge.
On the 28th May 1887, Fred arrived in New York City, in the United States of America, on board the Norddeutscher-Lloyd liner,
Aller, which he had boarded at Southampton, England. He found work in New York as a machinist.
On the 10th June 1893, he married Frances ‘Fannie’ Russell Miles, and the following year the couple welcomed their only child, Dorothy Elma, into the world. Also in 1893, on the 3rd October, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America.
Fred advanced in the shipbuilding industry, moving to Newport News, Virginia, and later to Washington D.C. He frequently travelled to Great Britain in the course of his work.
In the spring of 1915, he embarked upon a business trip to England and Holland in company with two friends, Mr. Albert Lloyd Hopkins, president of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and Mr. Samuel M. Knox, president of the New York Shipbuilding Company. Their business was primarily with the British Admiralty and was connected with the negotiation of a patent for submarine design.
As a result, they all booked saloon passage on the Lusitania which was due to sail from New York on 1st May 1915. Before Fred Gauntlett joined the vessel he stayed at the Woolworth Building in New York, and once on board, he was allocated room B30, which he shared with Albert Hopkins. This room was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward James Grant, who came from Liverpool, Lancashire.
When the liner was struck, one week out of New York and only hours away from her destination, Fred Gauntlett was lucky enough to be counted amongst the survivors. He later described his experiences to a reporter which were syndicated in many newspapers around the world. His account stated: -
A number of us were coming over here on business. From the day we sailed, we complacently spoke of the possibilities of the German menace, but no-one believed it for we scorned the idea of being torpedoed. It was shortly after two, probably ten minutes past and I was in the dining saloon, chatting to my friends, when the first explosion occurred. We knew at once what had happened. Shortly afterwards the boat listed perceptibly.
I shouted to the others to close the ports. Some of us went to our berths, and put on life-saving belts. On making our way to the deck we were informed that there was no danger, and we need not be alarmed, but the bow was sinking deeper into the water, and efforts were made to launch the boats.
Fifty or more people entered the first boat and as it was swung from the davit, it fell suddenly. I think most of the occupants perished. Swinging free from one of them as it descended, I struck out swimming strongly and steadily to a piece of wreckage which I had observed. On reaching it I found that it was one of the collapsible boats, but I had to rip open the canvas with a knife, before I could get it to open. Another passenger came in it and between us, we were able to get some thirty people out of the water. While we were doing that, I noticed the Lusitania gradually disappearing.
The lifeboat that Fred Gauntlett saw dumping its passengers was probably Lifeboat No. 17 and the person Mr. Gauntlett refers to as
another passenger, could have been saloon passengers Jay Brooks or Charles Lauriat. The account continued: -
Women and children under the protection of men had clustered in lines on the port bow and as the ship made her plunge down a little by the head and heeling at an angle of getting on for 90 degrees, this little army slid down towards the starboard side, dashing themselves against each other as they went until they were engulfed. I am now waiting to hear of my friend - I wonder if he has been as fortunate as myself.
Fred Gauntlett's friend was Albert Hopkins, who came from New York and was killed in the sinking. His other friend Samuel Knox also managed to get into the same collapsible boat as Gauntlett, which then came under the command of Able Seaman Leslie Morton who was instrumental in saving many people and was later awarded a Board of Trade silver medal for his efforts
Bedroom Steward Grant, who had looked after Fred Gauntlett and Albert Hopkins in room B30, also survived the sinking and eventually got back to his Liverpool home.
According to Captain Frederick D. Ellis in his book The Tragedy of the Lusitania, published not long after the sinking in America: -
Undoubtedly the vigorous protest put up by Americans, among them F. J. Gauntlett, of New York, was responsible for the collection of many bodies, the added efforts bringing the number then recovered to 173. Mr. Gauntlett, Webb Ware, secretary to Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt; Lindell Bates, brother of Lindon Bates, Jr., and others insisted that authorities make a systematic search for bodies.
As a result a tug sent out by the Admiralty returned bringing sixteen bodies picked up here and there afloat, ashore in the coves and inlets, and also brought word of ten bodies being at Baltimore and two at Queen's End Land. In addition Mr. Bates obtained consent to have the thirty miles between Queenstown harbor and Kinsale divided into districts of five miles which were patrolled at least once a day.
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and Lindon Bates, both fellow saloon passengers lost their lives as a result of the torpedoing and although the body of Lindon Bates was recovered and identified, that of Alfred Vanderbilt never was, despite the efforts of Fred Gauntlett and Messrs. Bates and Ware.
Fred Gauntlet remained angry at the lack of warship protection and rescue given to the
Lusitania for a long time after the sinking, and this might have made him return to America earlier than he had first intended, for he went back on 26th May, on the S.S.
Philadelphia bound for New York. In one of the ship’s holds, on the same sailing, was the body of his friend Albert Lloyd Hopkins.
Fred Gauntlett continued to work in the shipbuilding industry for many years and travelled extensively. He made frequent voyages to Great Britain, Hawaii, and the Caribbean Islands, both on business and on holiday with his wife.
The family later moved to 16. Primrose Street, Chevy Chase, Montgomery County, Maryland, where his wife died on the 29th May 1948. Fred Gauntlett died on the 9th August 1951, and was interred beside his wife in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington D.C.. He was aged 81 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, New York Extracted Marriage Index 1866 – 1937, 1871 Census of England, 1881 Census of England, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1915 New York State Census, 1920 U.S. Federal Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1940 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes 1871 – 1992, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, Cunard Records, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, Belfast News Letter, Cork Examiner, Last Voyage of the Lusitania, Seven Days to Disaster, Findagrave, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Stuart Williamson, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.