Charles Frederick Sturdy was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, on the 16th July 1876, the son of John and Ellen Sturdy (nee Gosling). He was the youngest of eight known children, and his father was a carpenter who died a month or two before Charles was born. To support her family, his mother worked as a draper.
By the time he was aged just 14 years, Charles had left school and was a printer’s apprentice. He later became a salesman for fancy goods.
In December 1907, he left Liverpool on the Empress of Britain and made his way to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in search of a better life, and became a buyer for Messrs. Henry Birks & Sons Ltd., Phillips Square, Montreal. On the 23rd February 1911, he married Gilberta Christina Boyd and the couple lived at 166. Grand Boulevard, Quebec. For their honeymoon, the couple travelled to England, where Charles introduced his bride to his family and friends in London. Their son, John Rhodes Sturdy, was born in 1913.
Charles Sturdy was not only a buyer for his employers, he was also the manager of their leather department, and frequently travelled to Europe in the course of his business.
In the spring of 1915, he found it necessary to travel to Europe, and as a consequence, booked return saloon passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania, through Montreal agents W. H. Henry. This sailing was scheduled to leave New York for Liverpool on the morning of 1st May 1915, and having left Montreal at the end of April, Charles Sturdy arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York harbour in time to catch that sailing. Having boarded the liner with ticket number 13167, he was then escorted to his accommodation in room B96, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Percy Penny who came from Aigburth, a suburb of Liverpool.
The liner’s sailing was then delayed as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war work at the end of April and she finally left the port just after mid-day. Just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, she was torpedoed and sunk within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, by the German submarine U-20. At that point in her voyage, she was only hours away from the safety of her home port.
Despite the fact that most of the saloon passengers lost their lives as a result of the sinking, Charles Sturdy managed to survive and having been rescued from the sea, he was landed at Queenstown from where he probably got to his original destination.
Bedroom Steward Penny who had looked after him in room B96, also survived the sinking and eventually made it back to his Aigburth home.
On arrival in London, Charles Sturdy was interviewed by the London correspondent of the Montreal Star, and his account was published in their 19th May edition: -
… Mr. Sturdy says that when the crash came he went down to the steerage and stepped into a boat that was being lowered. It was about three parts filled with people. The rope at one end gave way, and the boat plunged into the sea. Happily it righted itself and some passengers managed to get back into the boat, although it was rapidly filling with water.
Others hung around the edges. They hung on for twenty minutes, when over the boat went again. Quite a number of passengers dropped into the sea, not having the strength to hold on. The boat went over a third time, but soon righted itself.
“Managing to get my foot into a loop, I pulled myself into the boat, which then had very few occupants,” he continued. “Only two women were left, and they were in a state of collapse. One man held onto the boat in a death grip, his body being under the water. Another was hanging on behind and appealed for help. I just had strength enough to drag him in. We had no oars and had to drift. Happily, the sea was perfectly calm and the sun warm.
“Drifting, we encountered a raft and a collapsible boat, upside down, lashed together with a smaller boat. When they were near enough, the occupants threw us a rope to pull us alongside. Two women were dragged through the water on to the raft by their hair, only just in time to save them. They were nearly dead from exhaustion, but were restored by artificial breathing.
“All around there were dead bodies floating around of men, women and children – an awful sight. Shortly afterwards a tug came along and took us all to Queenstown. ….
On the 14th June 1915, Charles Sturdy disembarked from the St. Paul in New York, following an uneventful crossing from Liverpool, and made his way to his home and family in Montreal.
In 1917, Charles and Gilberta Sturdy’s second child, a daughter named Rhodafred
Ellen, was born.
Charles Sturdy lodged a claim with the Canadian Commission, seeking compensation for personal injuries and the loss of his money and personal effects in the sinking. He alleged that he had suffered from shock and bruising, and that his kidneys suffered as a result. He subsequently had to have one kidney removed, and also a stone from his bladder; however, medical experts could not say with certainty that this was as a result of his ordeal, they thought it very likely. In December 1926, he was awarded $5,000 in respect of his personal injuries, and a further $2,500 to compensate him for the loss of his money and personal effects.
Charles Sturdy’s main pastime was lawn bowling, and he was considered one of the best players in Montreal. He was a member of St. George Bowling Club, and held the office of vice-president for a time, and had won a number of prestigious tournaments.
At 8p.m. on the 21st June 1937, while representing his club in the provincial Singles competition at the Notre Dame de Grace Bowling Club, he collapsed and died, aged 60 years. At that time, he was associated with the United Standard Products Company.
His remains were cremated at the Mont Royal Crematorium, and his ashes interred in Huntington Protestant Cemetery, Quebec. His home at the time of his death was 2066. Claremont Avenue, Westmount, Montreal.
Births, Marriages and Deaths, Quebec Canada Notarial Records 1637 – 1935, Quebec Canada Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection) 1621 – 1968, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, 1921 Census of Canada, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Canadian Claims Case No. 844, The Gazette, Montreal Star, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/238, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.