Thomas Edward Todd Peacock, always known as ‘Edward’ during his early years, was born in Basford, near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, on the 23rd January 1898, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Tirzah Peacock, (née Todd). His father was a mining engineer and for a while the family lived in the Tanfield district of Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, and then in Tynemouth, Devon. He had an older sister, named Winifrid, and he also had an older brother, Walter, and a younger brother, Joseph, both of whom died within a year of their births.
In 1905, after a spell on the Gold Coast of West Africa, his father immigrated to
Chicago, Illinois, in the United States of America, where work opportunities awaited him, and Edward and his mother and sister followed him in February 1906. Within a few years the family had moved to Jerome, Arizona, where Mr. Peacock pursued his professional calling. In 1910, the family paid a visit home, returning to America in February 1911 on the Lusitania.
On the 26th December 1914, his father died, and Edward and his widowed mother decided to return to Newcastle for good. Thus, they booked second cabin passage on the May 1915 sailing of the Lusitania, only this time with more unfortunate results.
Having boarded the vessel at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for the liner’s scheduled 10 o’clock departure, Edward Peacock and his mother had to wait until 12.27 p.m., before the liner actually nosed into the North River and her date with destiny. The delay was caused because she had to wait to embark passengers, some of the crew and the cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia which the British Admiralty requisitioned at the end of April to use as a troop ship.
Edward Peacock shared cabin C9 with Guy Cockburn, Martin Collis, and William Mitchellhill.
Then six days later, on the afternoon of the 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk within sight of the coast of southern Ireland by the German submarine U-20. Although nearly 380 second class passengers lost their lives as a result of this action, the Peacocks were fortunate enough to be saved, however, despite suffering the ordeal of the sinking. Guy Cockburn and Martin Collis also survived, but William Mitchellhill was lost and his body never recovered.
On his eventual return to Tyneside, at the home of his aunt and uncle, Dr. and Mrs. H.F. Wynne Boland of Burnbrae, Burnopfield, Edward Peacock and his mother both related their experiences, which were published in an article in The Chester Le Street Chronicle on 14th May 1915. The article stated: -
When the torpedo struck the Lusitania young Peacock who is only 17 years of age, at once sought out his mother and assisted her to a boats. With great thoughtfulness, said the lady her son took her past two other boats that were loading at a difficult angle owing to the list of the ship, into one which was considered safer - a circumstance wherein the judgement of the youth was afterwards proved - in as much as both of the other two boats capsized. Mrs. Peacock said that she subsequently discovered that the boat she was in was number “13” an instance in which superstition proved incorrect; her son also assisted into the boats a Miss Clare of Liverpool and a little girl of six years of age.
Elizabeth Peacock must have been mistaken about the name of the Liverpool passenger, as there was no person on board with the surname Clare or any close derivation of it. The account continued: -
When the boat was released, a lot more jumped into it on to the top of Mrs Peacock who had been give
young Peacock remaining behind with other male passengers. Meanwhile he had noticed a boat which had been cut down from the slings floating astern empty; he kept his eye on the same knowing that the Lusitania might go down any minute and when the list became worse he thought it better to make his way into the water.
He climbed down one of the empty slings of the davit; unfortunately his foot caught in one of the ropes of the pulley and when the ship sank he was pulled under the water to a depth, he thought of about twenty feet, as far as he could estimate.
His foot, however, was freed in the action and his life-belt quickly brought him to the surface again. A big burst of air from the vessel also helped him, he said a very considerably. He at once commenced to swim towards the empty boat and that he had marked in his eye previously; he thought if he could get to it, he might not only save himself, but others who were floating about. He himself was an expert swimmer, having a done up a lot, he said, when he lived at Tynemouth.
The current however appeared to be carrying the boat away from him, so he took his life-belt off and swam without it. It was only, however, after three hours in the water that he succeeded in reaching the boat, by swimming and floating. Shortly after he gained the boat a sailor also swam to it and the two of them after bailing out the water - it was half full - rowed towards a trawler in the distance. This trawler in the meantime had picked up about thirty other survivors who were swimming about. Mr Peacock still possesses the watch that he had on him when he was drawn under and which is standing at 2.55 - a corroboration of the time officially given of the time of sinking of the ship.
In fact, the liner had sunk at about 2.30! The account continues: -
The boat that his mother was in was first taken in hand by a fishing boat until it met an armed trawler - the same boat which picked up the old lady of 70, referred to in other reports. This armed trawler took them into Queenstown, arriving there at about nine o'clock in the evening. From there she despatched a telegram to Dr. Boland at Burnopfield, saying that she had arrived there alone, but that her son had been lost. At 1.30 a.m., however, a second telegram arrived saying that both had been saved, the son having also been landed at Queenstown in the meantime and after some difficulty, had found his mother at a small hotel in the place.
They travelled to Newcastle on Sunday and arrived at Burnopfield on Monday morning. ..... They have lost all their effects, including their jewellery, plate, and over £100 worth of valuable pictures. They had with them quite a lot of valuables, as it was possible that they might not return to America, consequent upon the death of Mrs Peacock's husband, last Xmas. Mrs Peacock says that her life was undoubtedly saved by the presence of mind and courage of her son; otherwise she would probably have been in one of the boats which capsized.
In July 1915, Edward Peacock and his mother must have decided that they did not want to stay in England after all and they both returned to Arizona, where Edward trained as an electrician with the Arizona Power Company, residing in Prescott, Yavapai County, Arizona. It was around this time that he reverted to using his first forename, Thomas, as his preferred name, and in 1916, he began the process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.
On the 22nd June 1921, he married Ruby Seaver in Prescott, and they went on to have two sons – Thomas and Robert. The family moved to Waterford, Connecticut, where Thomas became the general manager of a bus company, and later they moved to Trenton, New Jersey, where he was employed as the general manager of the Trenton Transit Company.
He died in Trenton, New Jersey, on the 10th February 1966, aged 68 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, England & Wales Christening Index 1530 – 1980, Arizona U.S. County Marriage Records 1865 – 1972, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1920 U.S. Federal Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Arizona U.S. State Court Naturalization Records 1869 – 1993, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards 1917 – 1918, U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards 1942, Liverpool Record Office, Chester Le Street Chronicle, Newcastle Daily Chronicle, Yorkshire Post, UniLiv D92/2/400, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.