William Stainton was born in Knottingley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in 1877, the illegitimate son of Maria Stainton. He was brought up by his grandparents, James and Hannah Stainton, and the family home was in one of two cottages in the centre of the main street in Etton, which together, today constitute 68, Main Street. His grandfather was a general labourer.
As a youth, he entered the service of Colonel Grimston of High Hall, Etton, to train for gentlemen's service and subsequently transferred to nearby Cherry Burton Hall, and the employ of Mr. D.F. Burton, J.P.. He later served in a similar capacity as personal valet to Mr. E. Kenneth Wilson of Little Tranby, Beverley.
During the Anglo-Boer War, he served in South Africa as 32454 Private William Stainton with the Imperial Yeomanry, and as a result, in October 1904, he was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Beverley at a special ceremony at the Guildhall, along with all the other volunteers from the area who had also served in the war.
Continuing his chosen profession, he secured a position with Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Collins, C.B., of ‘Cowleaze’, Hayling Island, Hampshire, who, at one time was an
equerry and comptroller to Her Royal Highness Princess Louise and inter gentleman usher to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII. When Colonel Collins died, Stainton was the recipient of a substantial legacy and gifts, for his faithful service.
With this record of employment behind him, it is not difficult to see how he was able to gain the position of personal valet to Mr. Charles Frohman, the American theatrical impresario, who made frequent journeys across the Atlantic.
He lived with Mr. Frohman at The Knickerbocker Hotel, in New York City, New York, U.S.A., and on 1st May 1915, the pair set off from New York to Liverpool as saloon passengers on what proved to be the Lusitania's final voyage. Stainton was allocated room B61 not far away from his employer in room B75. Stainton’s room was under the care of First Class Bedroom Steward Walter Wood, who came from Seaforth, Lancashire. Mr. Frohman’s ticket was numbered 46052 and it is probable that William Stainton was also booked on this.
Six days out of New York, on the afternoon of 7th May 1915, the steamer was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool destination. Both men were killed as a result of the sinking and although Mr. Frohman's body was recovered quite soon afterwards, that of William Stainton was not discovered until 14th May - six days afterwards, in the sea off Queenstown. He was aged 38 years.
Having been recovered from the sea, his body was taken to one of the temporary mortuaries set up in Queenstown, where it was given the reference number 199 and described as: -
William Stainton, aged 38 years, 5’ 9” high, clean shaven, dark hair turning grey.
Property. 1 sovereign, 1 10$ piece, 3 5$ pieces gold, 5/8 in silver, 2 dime pieces, 3 20$ Bills, 1 gold watch and chain with key and seal attached, Aliens Restriction Order, plate false teeth, (2each side) 1 penknife, 1 pencil and some papers, 1 gold stud, 1 bar pin, 3 10$ 1 £5.
On 19th May 1915, the body was despatched to Beverley, for burial, and arrived there at midnight at the mortuary of the Beverley Cottage Hospital, sealed in a lead coffin, presumably because of the state of decomposition it must have suffered after a week's immersion in the sea. During the night, the lead coffin was placed in an outer one of polished pitch pine with a coffin plate which bore the simple inscription: -
William Stainton
Died May 7th, 1915
Aged 38 years.
On the morning of Thursday 20th May 1915, it was taken to the home of his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. William Stainton of 2, Wellington Cottages, Norwood, Beverley, from where the funeral would take place. The valet had made this place his home when in England. In the afternoon, the cortege proceeded by road to the village of Etton and it was buried there in the churchyard of St. Mary's, the 12th century parish church.
The Rector of St. Mary's, The Reverend John Butler Cholmeley, conducted the funeral service which was attended by a large gathering of people which included local dignitaries, many family
His remains still lie there today although his headstone, made of yellow sandstone, has fallen flat. The inscription on it states: -
In Loving Memory
of
WILLIAM STAINTON,
WHO WAS DROWNED IN THE
SINKING OF THE SS "LUSITANIA",
MAY 7TH 1915,
AGED 38 YEARS.
His grandparents are buried in the grave next to his, his grandfather having died in 1887, aged 69 years and his grandmother in 1911 aged 91 years. The grave of The Reverend John Butler Cholmeley is not far away!
The recovered property mentioned above, was eventually sent to his uncle William at the Norwood address, on 17th June 1915.
In January 1998, Miss Mabel Sever, aged 94, a native resident of the village of Etton, who was present at William Stainton’s funeral wrote of him to Graham Maddocks: -
I do remember William Stainton and when the news of his death came into the village it stumped everyone. It was almost incredible that we should know someone who had been on the Lusitania.
My aunt Violet West had been quite friendly with William - she was born in 1889 and lived in Etton but I think that all that came to an end when he left the village.
Bedroom Steward Walter Wood who was in charge of room B61 survived the sinking and eventually returned to his Seaforth home.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Beverley Guardian, Beverley Recorder and Independent, Etton Village News, Hull Times, Leeds Mercury, UniLiv.D92/1/8-11, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Chris Bailey, Lawrence Evans, Marjorie Hurst, Leonard Morrell, Mabel Sever, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.