Thomas Leonard Baldwin was born in Conderton, near Tewkesbury, Worcester, Worcestershire, England, on the 2nd April 1888, the eldest of nine children born to Charles Arthur and Emma Baldwin (née Atherton). His father was a brass tube finisher.
His family later moved to Sellack, Herefordshire, where Charles Baldwin worked as a cowman on a dairy farm.
Having left school, he worked at Bromborough Hall, Bromborough, Cheshire, the home of Sir William B. Forwood, a director of the Cunard Steam Ship Company. Through this connection, Thomas Baldwin was found a berth on the R.M.S. Carmania and after serving on her for five months, he was transferred to the Lusitania. He then sailed on her for nearly 90 trips across the Atlantic as a first class waiter and assistant smoke room steward in the Stewards' Department.
In the spring of 1912, he married Ethel Hunt in Liverpool, and they resided at 12, Empire Street, Bootle, Lancashire. Their son, Leonard, who was to be their only child, was born shortly after their marriage.
Thomas Baldwin joined the Lusitania for her final voyage at Liverpool on the 12th April 1915 as a first class waiter in the Stewards’ Department at a monthly wage of £4-5s.-0d. (£4.25p.), and reported for duty at 7 a.m. on the morning of the 17th April, before the vessel left Liverpool Landing Stage for the last time. Having served on the liner as she made her way across the Atlantic Ocean to New York, he was on board when she left there on what would become her last ever voyage towards Liverpool, just after noon on the 1st May 1915. Six days later, on the afternoon of the 7th May, the liner was torpedoed and sunk when only hours away from the safety of her home port, off The Old Head of Kinsale, in southern Ireland, by the German submarine U-20.
Waiter Baldwin survived this sinking, however, and having been rescued from the sea and landed at Queenstown, he eventually made it back to Liverpool. In an interview with a representative of the Birkenhead News, which was published in the edition of the 22nd May 1915, Waiter Baldwin described how on the Friday afternoon of the sinking, lunch had just finished, and he was preparing to set the tables for dinner, when he felt a terrific bump, followed by a loud explosion. He continued: -
I guessed immediately what had happened and ran out to see if it was serious. The boats were being filled with women and children right away and lowered. Before a great deal could be done we had a heavy list to starboard which made the launching of more boats most dangerous. The time rapidly came when it was everyone for himself, and when I made a dive for it there were hundreds struggling in the water.
I swam away as quickly as possible knowing quite well that when the ship made her final plunge her suction would be tremendous. I was about 40 yards away when I ventured to tread water and so view the last of our ship. But for the horrible sight of people struggling and the thunderous roar of bursting boilers, etc., the spectacle was really a magnificent one.
Whilst taking a last view of the 'Lucy' I saw a woman sucked down one of the funnels of the ship and then a terrible explosion occurred, and the woman was shot out a considerable distance as though she had been shot out of a cannon. She was picked up like a piece of coal but I believe she survived.
This woman was recently married second cabin passenger Mrs. Margaret Gwyer, who was afterwards picked out of the sea and although blackened with soot from her ordeal, nevertheless survived to be landed at Queenstown and eventually reach England. Thomas Baldwin’s account continued: -
Another grand sight was seen whilst the ship's nose was entering the water. I noticed a man standing on the topmost point of the ship's stern without clothes. Placing his hands above his head he gracefully dived into the water from a great height - truly a remarkable feat. The propellers were shining like gold, and one was still ticking slowly round. Apparently the engine had not altogether stopped.
I had been swimming about for a period of 20 minutes, and I might tell you it seemed like hours to me. Finally I managed to cling to a passing boat to which a pal of mine was hanging. We shouted out and were pulled into the boat, which had already 80 survivors. We were all transferred to a sailing boat but had not been on board for very long when an officer called out for a volunteer crew to take the lifeboat over. I readily volunteered, although feeling very much exhausted. We started to row back to the wreck, which was about three miles away, but were taken in tow by a steamship called the Indian Empire, and did rescue work until all were taken out, both dead and alive.
Apart from being shaken and sustaining a slight injury to his neck, Waiter Baldwin was none the worse for his experience.
Eventually, he was officially paid off at Cunard’s Water Street offices in Liverpool from the Lusitania’s final voyage - his period of service being reckoned from the 17th April until the 8th May, 24 hours after the liner was sunk. The balance of wages owing to him amounted to £4-9s.-6d. (£4.47½p.).
Thomas Baldwin continued to work on Cunard’s trans-Atlantic liners until his retirement in 1952 or 1953. He served on the Aquitania, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth II, and in 1922, relocated with his family to Southampton, from where the liners operated out of, with the decline of Liverpool port.
Thomas Baldwin died in Southampton, Hampshire, on the 2nd April 1955, the day of his 67th birthday. His remains were cremated, and his ashes scattered at the Garden of Rest, South Stoneham Cemetery, outside Southampton.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, 1921 Census of England, 1939 Register, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, UK Campaign Medals Awarded to World War I Merchant Seamen 1914 – 1925, Birkenhead News, PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 348, PRO BT 350, PRO BT 364, PRO BT 395/1/4018, Graham Maddocks, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 9th December 2022.