| Author |
Message |
    
Dennis Foley
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2001 - 5:49 pm: | 
|
In addition to Titanic, I am very interested in the Lusitania. Does anyone know if there is a web cite comparable to this one (magnificient as it is!) dedicated to Lusitania? Does anyone know how many, if any, Lusitania survivors are alive today? Thanks. Dennis |
Filipe Prista Lucas Rodrigues Lopes
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2001 - 6:31 pm: |
|
I believe that there are only two Lusitania survivors still alive: Audrey Pearl, aged 86, and Barbara Anderson MacDermott, aged 89.
Hope this helps  Filipe |
lisa bruner
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2001 - 8:02 pm: |
|
Dennis, hello to you. I went into search engines for you. I found something that might of interest to you. If you go to www.ocean-liners.com you will find an aray of information including photo gallery. Give that a try. |
James A. Kalafus
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 25, 2001 - 11:44 am: |
|
Dennis- G0 to http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/tributes/436678.html for a memorial article, illustrated. about a previously unknown survivor who passed away this June. |
Dennis Foley
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 25, 2001 - 3:49 pm: |
|
Thank you folks for your information. Dennis |
Bruce Tompkins
Member
Username: titanicbuff
Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Monday, November 18, 2002 - 11:55 pm: |
|
Hello, this is my 1st foray into the E-T site. I believe that two survivors are yet alive, Audrey Pearl (86) and Barbara Anderson MacDermott (89). Is that true or are there others? Was there a survivor named Rosalie Altamore? When did she pass on and at what age? An item supposedly signed by her is currently up for auction, and I just was curious. Thanks! |
Bruce Tompkins
Member
Username: titanicbuff
Post Number: 2
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 12:01 am: |
|
Hello again, while I'm on the Lusitania topic, there are so many Titanic memorial societies around the world. Is there a LUSITANIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY? If so, I'd like some more information about it (website address, location, when founded, number of members, dues, journals, etc).
Thanks again |
Colleen Collier
Member
Username: colleen
Post Number: 940
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 6:23 am: |
|
Welcome aboard, Bruce. Can't help you a whole lot on Lusitania. I wish there was a Lusitania Historical Society. Lots of very intelligent "Lusy" people here. Would be great to combine their forces and get their knowledge down like on ET.
Colleen
|
Shelley Dziedzic
Moderator
Username: shelley
Post Number: 1125
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 6:58 pm: |
|
Hi Bruce- we have some real Lusy experts here. Mrs. McDermott is now 90 and doing very well and lives in Connecticut.. Here are some photos of her. http://www.Revdma2.com/Barbara.html
Audrey Pearl is also alive- am not sure of her health status but someone here will know. |
Bruce Tompkins
Member
Username: titanicbuff
Post Number: 4
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 7:46 pm: |
|
Hello Shelley and Colleen, is Barbara's last name MacDermott or McDermott. Where does she live in Connecticut (I live there also)? Does she talk to visitors in person? Does anyone know of a Rosalie
Altamore? Was she a crewmember or passenger? How old was she when she passed on?
Bruce Tompkins
CT, USA |
Shelley Dziedzic
Moderator
Username: shelley
Post Number: 1127
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 7:56 pm: |
|
Bruce- the link above should answer everything. |
Iain Stuart Yardley
Member
Username: boz
Post Number: 571
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2004 - 8:47 am: |
|
Is Audrey Pearl now Mrs Audrey Lawson Johnston? I read this BBC story and thought for a minute that there was a Lusitania survivor that hadn't been mentioned on the board before.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/3526461.stm
Cheers,
Boz |
Eric Sauder
Member
Username: eric
Post Number: 368
Registered: 1-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2004 - 5:00 pm: |
|
Hi, Boz:
Yes, Audrey Pearl is Mrs. Lawson Johnston. I'll be visiting her again before the BTS convention this year and can't wait.
She worked very long and very hard hours trying to raise the money needed for this lifeboat, which was no small task considering she is in her late 80s. She did a wonderful job and is to be congratulated for her efforts.
I'd also like to personally thank again those couple of people on this list and others who donated a few dollars on Audrey's behalf. She appreciated it immensely. It's people like those who donated who are truly trying to keep the spirit of these ships -- as well as the victims and the survivors -- alive.
Eric Sauder |
Jesse D O'Neill
Member
Username: j_d_oneill
Post Number: 149
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2004 - 8:20 pm: |
|
i wouldnt mind meeting her myself. would be nice to meet a lusitania survivor and sit and talk
Jesse D. O'Neill
|
Bruce B Chin
Member
Username: rmsaquitania
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 9:12 pm: |
|
I think I found the item that survivor Barbara McDermott is looking for, on eBay - it is in Maryland and the item is about to sell quite high - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6518351850&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT |
Bruce B Chin
Member
Username: rmsaquitania
Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 2:36 am: |
|
Would anyone happen to know if perhaps this spoon, which I won on eBay, might belong to Barbara McDermott? Given the fact it was found in an attic and the seller is in Maryland, I do not know if this may offer any clues as to whether this spoon, that was among many that came from the ship as souvenirs between 1907 and 1915, might belong to Miss McDermott by chance.
I am currently checking with THS on this remote possibility via Eric Sauder and Ed Kamuda.
I literally read Miss McDermott's story yesterday, as I had the item already on my eBay "Watch List" for the past five days.
Your information on this would be much obliged.
Many thanks!
Bruce |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 83
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 3:05 am: |
|
Hello Bruce
There is very little possibility of the spoon having originally belonged to Barbara. The spoon was kept by her 'Granny' Pybus in Darlington, England. Since Barbara left England in 1919, without the spoon, some Pybus relatives may have sold it or it may have been lost or perhaps is held by some very distant relative.
The best person to answer your question is Shelley Dziedzic, a moderator on this board. She has gone through great lengths to track down Barbara's spoon. You can contact Shelley through the board or through her website
www.revdma2.com
I am sure you have read her tribute page to Barbara?
Mike
" God will get you for that Walter! "
|
Shelley Dziedzic
Moderator
Username: shelley
Post Number: 2358
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 3:57 am: |
|
Hi Bruce. Well, so many people have tried to help in the spoon quest for Barbara, which speaks volumes about the goodness of human nature. She is so appreciative of the goodwill and many efforts. It's a shame that when the household was broken up in Darlington, the whereabouts of the spoon was lost. For the duration of her grandmother Margaret's life, it was kept in what is called a Welsh dresser in the UK. I would imagine it may have been handed down to a relative. Barbara remembers, during her stay through WWI, whenever the Lusitania came up, her Grandmother reached into the dresser to show it. It is my understanding that table cutlery from the Lusitania did not have the name of the ship on it. It would have been a dessert spoon. A donor has kindly sent her what would probably be a spoon Cunard would have used in 1915 which may well have been similar or identical. She was as grateful for the gesture as if it were the genuine spoon. I am not certain about Lusitania, but sometimes souvenir spoons meant as gift items would carry the ship's name and the Cunard flag. I have a silverplated tea strainer with RMS Carinthia and the house flag in enamel in a ship's wheel on the handle. Is it possible you could post a photo of the spoon? A gentleman in England sent Barbara the famous Lusy medal when he heard that she wanted one. Although the Darlington house is gone now, some good folks in the UK are still trying to track distant relatives. Barbara went back to Darlington in the early 70's to visit her last closest relative, now deceased. |
Shelley Dziedzic
Moderator
Username: shelley
Post Number: 2359
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 4:02 am: |
|
Just looked at the link from Ebay Bruce- that spoon sure looks like a souvenir type- not diningroom cutlery. It is spectacular! Congratulations! |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 84
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 10:35 am: |
|
Hello Shelley
I was thinking... Since Barbara always claimed it spelled out 'Lusitania' on the spoon, is it possible that Emily Anderson may have bought her a special spoon while on board to eat with as a souvenir? Or perhaps a kindly steward supplied the souvenir spoon for children during meal times?
" God will get you for that Walter! "
|
Shelley Dziedzic
Moderator
Username: shelley
Post Number: 2360
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 12:28 pm: |
|
Those would be some possibilities, unless, and this is sometimes the situation with older survivors, she "misremembered" the part about the name on it.I don't think she does though. Of course she would not have known at age three about the writing on the spoon when it happened, but would have known later on at age 7 seeing it at home. It's a curious mystery. The SOS is out to collectors if they can shed any light on it! This may be one for The Great British Brain Trust. |
Jo Durant
Member
Username: jo
Post Number: 17
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 10:09 pm: |
|
Although I have always considered myself to be a student of the Titanic, and know virtually nothing about the Lusitania, I thought I'd share a recent stroke of luck with you - one of my mother's closest friends has only just informed me that her mother is Audrey Lawson Johnston. I thought I'd heard the name before but couldn't pinpoint where from, then it dawned on me. I have not met the woman herself, but apparently she is pleased to hear of my fascination with the liners of this period, considering my age (I'm 19, I think the older generations have lost faith in the younger and who can blame them.) Hopefully this will spark off a new interest - any suggestions regarding the most appropriate books for me to begin with? |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 168
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, July 7, 2005 - 3:12 am: |
|
Hi Jo,
How exciting for you! Here is a link to the Pearls experiences.
http://www.rmslusitania.info/pages/saloon_class/pearl_ald.html
The story seems to change with each retelling, but probably the best account comes from F. Warren Pearl's 1915 deposition which was used in the above bio.
Mike
" God will get you for that Walter! "
|
Jo Durant
Member
Username: jo
Post Number: 18
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 7, 2005 - 12:01 pm: |
|
Thank you, it makes for very interesting reading. If I get the opportunity to meet her I will let you all know - I consider myself very lucky to have this connection. |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 217
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 - 2:43 pm: |
|
Hi Jo-
I hope you were able to contact Mrs. Lawson-Johnston. Here is an interview with her nanny.
http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/LINES-FAMILY/1999-01/0916046796
Also- check out Anthony Cunningham's
The Titanic Diaries. It has an interview with her and also the account that her father wrote after the disaster. There is also a charming picture of her mother that has never been published before.
Mike
Clemency: We've been torpedoed! Oh, Mother! What shall we do?
Millicent: Get the jewelry.
|
Jo Durant
Member
Username: jo
Post Number: 34
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 6:02 pm: |
|
Thanks again Mike. |
Darren Clossin
Member
Username: dagwood387
Post Number: 233
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 7:01 pm: |
|
Is there a photo of Audrey Pearl as a youngster in any book or anything? I haven't ever seen one.
Thanks
"Dream big and dare to fail"- Norman Vaughan
|
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 263
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 9:04 pm: |
|
Hi Darren-
Actually, if you pick up Anthony's book- there is a nice picture of Audrey at about 4 years old.
Glad to help Jo-
Mike
Clemency: We've been torpedoed! Oh, Mother! What shall we do?
Millicent: Get the jewelry.
|
Bruce B Chin
Member
Username: rmsaquitania
Post Number: 3
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 10:38 am: |
|
Hi Everyone, You've all been very helpful and I do hope Barbara McDermott is faring well. I've run across another Lusitania item on eBay regarding autographed photos of the ship by Rosalie Altamore. I understand that Audrey Pearl and Barbara McDermott are among the two last known survivors. Has anyone any information on Rosalie Altamore? Here is the link on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/LAST-SURVIVOR-LUSITANIA-autographed-picture_W0QQitemZ6615227660QQcategoryZ14428QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Many thanks everyone! Bruce |
Cliff Mark Barry
Member
Username: cb139
Post Number: 59
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 10:43 pm: |
|
Hi Shelley,
have been trying to find any of Barbara's remaining Pybus family still alive,but as of yet no luck, Barbara's "granny Pybus" was born Margaret Mossom in 1852 in Canada so is there anyone across the pond who can help on that side?
Barbara's mother Emily had 1 brother William and a sister Margaret(who was a dress maker)there were at least 2 other children who died young(John & Frances) have not been able to locate anything on the sister Maragret, however i did find out about William and its very sad, he joined the army at the outset of the first world war and rose to the rank of Corporal in the Royal Engineers, he did survive the end of the war, however as part of the short term occupying forcess in Germany,he died on the 14th September 1919, aged 34, it must have been a terrible blow to "ganny & grandpa Pybus" losing 2 children and then 2 months later to see Barbara sail to America never to see or hear from her again, am still trying to find Margaret Pybus so the spoon may still be in the family somewhere
Cliff |
Cliff Mark Barry
Member
Username: cb139
Post Number: 60
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 11:45 pm: |
|
Hya Shell, me again- have spoken to Barbara about her aunt Margaret- she does remember vissiting her before coming to America in 1919 and she was married with children- which makes me think that if her grandparents passed away, the estate would have been inherited by aunt Margaret- as the last Pybus child- which could possibly mean that the grandchildren of Margaret have the spoon? i feel another visit to the family records centre coming on!!
Cliff |
Shelley Dziedzic
Moderator
Username: shelley
Post Number: 2117
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 27, 2006 - 5:10 am: |
|
Good work indeed Cliff. I recall seeing a photo of Emily in a dressmaker's shop with two other ladies, maybe one could be Margaret. Sure would be a coup finding that spoon after all these years!
www.revdma2.com
|
Cliff Mark Barry
Member
Username: cb139
Post Number: 61
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 27, 2006 - 5:38 pm: |
|
Hi Shelley, chances are that one of the ladies is Barbara's aunt Margaret, it seems that all the pybus women were excellent seamstresses and dressmakers- am dreaming about Barbara's afghan- time for a sleep, would be a find in deed if it were still in the family |
