Norman Albert Ratcliff was born in Chatham, Kent, England, on the 8th December 1878, the son of John Edwin and Laura Mary Ratcliff (née Percival). His father was a public accountant and auctioneer, and Norman was one of four children.
On completing his education, he became a clerk, and then, in January 1897, he enlisted in the Royal Navy, serving for a year. His older brother, John, had joined the Royal Navy in 1895, making it his career, and retiring as a Paymaster Captain.
In 1902, Norman married Jessie May Baker, who appears to have been his first cousin, and the couple had three children. They established their home at 72. College Avenue, Gillingham, Kent.
He was a commercial traveller for a hosiery and underwear manufacturer, and in January 1915, had travelled on business to Japan. For his return journey, he left Japan on the 1st April, and having first crossed the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco, California, he travelled by rail to New York City, where he had booked saloon passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania to Liverpool. Having arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in the port, on the morning of 1st May 1915, he boarded - with ticket number 46115 - and was allocated room B45, which was the responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward James Holden from Liverpool. Before he joined the ship, he stayed at the Manhattan Hotel in New York.
The liner’s departure for Liverpool was then delayed until the early afternoon, so that she could take on board passengers, cargo and crew from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war work as a troop ship at the end of April. Then, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland by the German submarine U-20, and sank just eighteen minutes later. At that stage of her voyage, she was only 250 miles from the safety of her home port.
Having jumped into the sea, Norman Ratcliff survived this action by clinging onto a wooden box for three hours, until he was picked up by a rescue vessel. On 11th May 1915, The Yorkshire Post published an account by him in which he stated that he was in the dining room when he heard a loud thud. He continued: -
When the vessel went down, I should think about fifteen or twenty minutes elapsed from the time she was struck. I managed to jump from the deck into a boat, but it sank. All about there were drowning passengers. Some clung to floating boxes and any debris which was available. I was provided with a lifebelt, and I managed to keep swimming about for something like three hours when I was picked up by one of the many small craft which had by then arrived on the scene.
He also stated, when interviewed by The Daily Telegraph on 9th May 1915: -
One of the stewards who was amongst the saved, told me that he saw Mr. Vanderbilt among the passengers on deck shortly after the ship had been struck. “The last I saw of Mr. Vanderbilt”, the steward said to me, “he was giving his lifebelt to a lady passenger.”
Mr. Vanderbilt, was, of course, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, the 38 year old American millionaire who perished in the disaster. Bedroom Steward James Holden who had looked after Norman Ratcliff in room B45 also perished as a result of the sinking.
Norman Ratcliff was aged 36 years at the time of the sinking.
Mr. Ratcliff continued to travel to Japan in the course of his business for many years, until at least 1925. His son later joined him in the business.
On the 9th November 1959, Norman Ratcliff died, aged 80 years. His address at the time of his death was 27. St. Luke’s Road, Maidenhead, Kent. He left his estate of £3,422-19s.-3d. (£3,422.96p.) to his wife, Jessie.
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, 1939 Register, California Passenger Lists 1882 – 1959, Cunard Records, UK Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s Services 1848 – 1939, Daily Telegraph, New York Times, Yorkshire Post, Probate Records, PRO 22/71, Graham Maddocks, Lawrence Evans, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.