Frederick George Webster was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 4th July 1888, the son of Frederick James and Sophia Ann Webster (née Harrison). His father was a mariner and Frederick was one of seven children in the family.
He qualified as a plumber and in July 1910 he immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he resided at 258. Sherbourne Street, Toronto.
On the 15th July 1911, he married Margaret Arthur in Toronto, and they had three children, William, born in 1912, and twin boys, Frederick George and Henry Harrison, born in 1914.
In the spring of 1915, however, Frederick Webster decided to return to Britain for a holiday and take all the family with him. As a result, he booked second cabin passage for them all on the Lusitania, which was due to sail from New York to Liverpool on 1st May 1915.
Parents and children left Toronto at the end of April and arrived in New York in time to board the vessel for her delayed sailing from the port, which began just after mid-day on 1st May. Just six days later, the family was divided for ever.
On the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 and although Frederick Webster and his eldest son, William, survived, his wife and twin sons were all killed.
The sequence of the family catastrophe was outlined in the book The Tragedy of the Lusitania written in 1915 by Captain Frederick D. Ellis, in which he stated: -
They reached the deck with the others who were dining when the torpedo struck. Webster took his son by the hand and darted away to bring lifebelts. When he returned, his wife and babies were not to be seen, nor have they since been seen.
Having been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, Frederick Webster and his son William eventually, made it back to England, where they resided at 7. Brook Road, Walton, Liverpool.
In the summer of 1919, Frederick Webster married Ethel Berry at St. Michael and All Saints Church, Claughton, Cheshire. By now, Frederick Webster was working as a plumber on ocean-going liners and the family moved to Southampton, Hampshire, where there were more work opportunities for him. In November 1920, their daughter, and only child, Marguerite, was born in Southampton.
In 1929, the Webster family crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled in New York City where Frederick worked as a plumber in a shipyard, but they only remained there for a few years before returning to Southampton, although Frederick’s eldest son, William, remained in New York City and Fredrick appeared to commute regularly between New York and Southampton for a number of years.
As well as being a plumber, Frederick also worked as a barman and photographer on trans-Atlantic liners and after he retired, the family continued to reside in Southampton.
Frederick George Webster died on the 26th April 1968, aged 79 years. He was residing at 19. Twyford Avenue, Shirley, Southampton, at the time of his death. He left an estate of £3,605.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Baptisms 1813 – 1919, Ontario Canada Marriages 1826 – 1938, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1939 Register, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Aberdeen Daily Journal, Tragedy of the Lusitania, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/298, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Stuart Williamson, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.