Frank Gustavus Naumann was born in Germany in 1854, the son of Friederich Emil and Mary Anna Naumann, but sometime in the second half of the nineteenth century, had immigrated to England and had successfully applied for British citizenship in 1890. He was described in some quarters as being a refugee of war!
In the summer of 1891, he married Annie Constantia Gruzelier in Croydon, Surrey, and in 1915, the family home was at ‘Redhurst’, Cranleigh, Surrey, England. They had three sons, Frank, John and Charles.
Mr. Naumann was a prominent Freemason and a past master of the Cranleigh Lodge. He was also a Special Constable and a great supporter of many local sports in Cranleigh Village, especially football and cricket. He had also founded Cranleigh Chess Club, to which he gave a silver cup.
Professionally, Frank Naumann was a merchant trader in coffee and a director of the firm Naumann, Gepp and Company, whose premises were at 130, Fenchurch Street, London. He visited the United States of America on a regular basis in connection with his business and in March 1915, he left Liverpool on board the Lusitania bound for New York, and arrived there on March 26th. For his return to London, he booked saloon passage on the Lusitania’s May sailing from New York to Liverpool through agents G. W. Lawrence and Co., of 87, Front Street, New York.
He joined the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour on the morning of 1st May 1915 and having boarded, with ticket number 46042, he was escorted to his accommodation in room A20, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward John Perry who came from Seaforth, on the outskirts of Liverpool. The liner’s sailing was then delayed until the afternoon as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April.
The Lusitania finally left port at 12.27 p.m. and six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May 1915, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, twelve miles off the southern Irish coast and only hours away from her home port. Frank Naumann was killed as a result of this action.
His body was one of the first to be recovered from the sea afterwards, however, and having been landed at Queenstown, it was taken to one of the temporary mortuaries there - probably the one set up in the yard of the Cunard building at Lynch‘s Quay on the waterfront. Before it was positively identified, probably from documents found on it, it was given the reference number 76. Once its identity had been established beyond doubt, however, it was embalmed, presumably for reasons of hygiene and then sent to St. John’s Crematorium in Hermitage Road, Woking, Surrey, where it was cremated on 17th May. Cunard records state that the cremation took place in Liverpool, but this was not the case, although it is likely that the body was first shipped to Liverpool from Queenstown.
On the afternoon of the following day, his ashes were taken to St. Nicholas’ Church, in Cranleigh for interment. The funeral service was conducted there by The Reverend R. Cunningham, rector of the church, assisted by The Reverend J.L. Brown. The hymns Nearer My God To Thee and Now The Labourer’s Task is O’er were impressively sung and after the service The Reverend Cunningham carried the remains, in a marble casket, to the grave, for interment. Frank Gustavus Naumann was aged 61 years.
There were many relatives, friends, and business associates present at the graveside, including his widow, two of his three sons, representatives of Naumann, Gepp and Company, Cranleigh Lodge of Freemasons and several Special Constables.
His remains lie there to this day, in the east corner of the churchyard. The grave is surrounded by a curb and has a cross mounted on a stone block at its head. The inscription which applies to Frank Naumann does not mention his Lusitania connection and simply states: -
FRANK GUSTAVUS NAUMANN
DIED 7TH MAY 1915
His wife Annie, who died in October 1922, aged 58 years, is also buried in the grave, as is Anthony Frank Naumann, described on the grave as Soldier Poet who lived from 1921 to 1971. He was, presumably, a grandson.
At the time of Frank Naumann’s death, although his youngest son Charles was still at school, his eldest son Frank, who had enlisted as a private soldier in the Honourable Artillery Company was serving with the British Army in Egypt, and his second son John, who had been commissioned into The Rifle Brigade, was on leave from his regiment, after service at Ypres.
Property taken from Frank Naumann’s body had already been handed over at Queenstown to a Mr. W.J. Beadle, from the family firm, who was present at the funeral, but on 21st August 1915, other articles, including papers and Naumann’s pipe were found floating in the sea and handed in at Queenstown!
Bedroom Steward John Perry, who had looked after Mr. Naumann in room A20, also perished in the sinking, and never saw his Seaforth home again.
Administration of Frank Naumann’s estate was granted jointly to his widow and another director of the firm, Mr. Robert Adolph Heizeman, (who was also present at the funeral) at London on 26th June 1915. His effects amounted to £184,839-8s-5d., (£184, 839.40p.)!
In view of Frank Naumann’s country of birth, his death at the hands of the Imperial German Navy is perhaps ironic!
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, UK Naturalisation Certificates and Declarations 1870 – 1916, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Surrey Advertiser, Woking Crematorium, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/ 345, UniLiv D92/2/166, UniLiv D92/2/456, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Reverend Canon Nigel Nicholson, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.