| Author |
Message |
    
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 12:49 am: | 
|
First of all I am new to this board and came across it trying to find out information on a passenger of the Lusitania by the name of Matt Freeman. He was suppose to be a boxing champion but I cannot find any information on him. If anyone knows anything about Matt Freeman I would like to hear it as I am thinking about writing an article on him for a boxing website I write for if I can find enough information. Thanks.
Jeff Young |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 81
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 2:28 am: |
|
Hello Jeff
as of 1955- Matt Freeman was living in Miami Beach, Florida at 1042 Michigan Avenue. He was 59 in 1955. Hope that helps
Mike
" God will get you for that Walter! "
|
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 4
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 3:22 am: |
|
Is it possible that he may have went by a different name. The reason that I ask is I found a passenger list that did not have his name on it. Also I cannot find any information if he was considered as a professional boxer. There is a great boxing site that does not have him listed, so that also made me think that he may have went by another name.
Unfortunately for internet searches there is a punk rock bassist named Matt Freeman, so that is all that ever comes up on the searches. |
Lester Mitcham
Member
Username: lester
Post Number: 830
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 3:26 am: |
|
Hello Jeff,
I recently came across this Lusitania web-site.
http://www.rmslusitania.info/pages/index.html
I do not see a Matt Freeman listed as being a passenger. |
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 5
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 3:34 am: |
|
It also brings me to another question and that is how accurate is Diana Preston's book Epic Tragedy. That is where Freeman's name was mentioned and that he was a boxing champion. I have read two other books on the Lusitania when I wrote a paper on the sinking for a college class and after reading Preston's book it was the first time I had heard of Freeman. |
Lester Mitcham
Member
Username: lester
Post Number: 831
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 3:47 am: |
|
I have just looked and he is in the index of the Hoehling & Hoehling book: The Last Voyage of the Lusitania. (1956/57) Page references 93, 110, 113, 130.
Matt Freeman, amateur lightweight boxing champion of England.
With quite a bit of detail about his survival. He struck his head on a lifeboat as he dived overboard. |
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 6
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 5:01 am: |
|
You know what, I have that book. It has been a while since I have looked at it. Thanks for the information. |
Lester Mitcham
Member
Username: lester
Post Number: 832
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 5:55 am: |
|
You could e-mail Hildo Thiel. He is one of the authors of the web-site I mentioned and has also posted frequently on E-T about the Lusitania. There is a thread Lusitania Passenger List. Hildo may know why Matt is not on the Passenger List.
I would be interested in the answer. |
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 8
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 9:29 am: |
|
Does anyone know when he passed away. I am assuming that he has passed if he was 59 in 1955. |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 82
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 11:48 am: |
|
Jeff
Matthew Freeman was a crewman- that is why he is not on the passenger list. I've havn't actively sought his date of death. Perhaps you could call the Miami Beach Library to see if he is in their death index from 1955-1960?
Good luck!
" God will get you for that Walter! "
|
Lester Mitcham
Member
Username: lester
Post Number: 834
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 7:07 pm: |
|
Hello Jeff,
Thanks to the information supplied by Michael, I found Matt on the web-site I listed above:
FREEMAN, Mr. Matthew. He is listed as a Waiter. |
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 9
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 7:21 pm: |
|
I e-mailed Hildo Thiel and he gave me that information. You guys are being very helpful. Thanks. |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 86
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 6:30 pm: |
|
Jeff
There is also the possibility that Freeman may have moved back to England and died there. As of 1955, he had only lived in the US for 8 years. There were a number of survivors that decided to move home and then died.
" God will get you for that Walter! "
|
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 12
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 7:47 am: |
|
I contacted a boxing commentator that was Muhammed Ali's fight doctor. He lives in Miami Beach, so maybe he has some information on Mr. Freeman. If he does I will tell you what he says. |
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 13
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 6:46 am: |
|
Just an update. Mr. Pacheco did not know anything about him, but he did give me a number for a boxing historian that knows a lot about the professionals and amateurs of that time frame named Hank Kaplan. I will be giving him a call tomorrow. Mr. Kaplan also lives in Miami Beach. |
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 14
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 6:54 pm: |
|
I spoke with Mr. Kaplan today, and even though he did not know anything about Mr. Freeman he did add another thing that I now have to find out. When I told him what I was looking for, he thought I was talking about two other boxers that he said were onboard the Lusitania. He could not remember their names, but said they were stokers or something like that and went down with the ship. He also said that they were from Ireland. So now I have other things to research as well.
He told me that he read an article about these two gentleman from the 1920's in a publication of Boxing News of England. The search continues. |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 88
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 24, 2005 - 2:27 am: |
|
Hi Jeff
I would really seek the help of the Miami Beach library. I doubt he lived past 1965.
" God will get you for that Walter! "
|
Peter Engberg-Klarström
Member
Username: peter
Post Number: 174
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 11:02 pm: |
|
Matthew Freeman was indeed a crewman on the ship, not a passenger. He was a waiter. There are two Matthew Freeman listed in the Social Security Death Index who might be the Matthew Freeman from the Lusitania, but I really don't know whether either of indeed is the one from the ship.
Peter |
Jeff Young
Member
Username: jeff_young
Post Number: 15
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 8:14 am: |
|
Currently I am going through old newspapers at the local college here in Arkansas. I found some interesting things from the 1915 editions of the Arkansas Gazette, like while the stories of the sinking were appearing in the paper, one of Rita Jolviet's shows was playing in Little Rock. There was a story on the sinking and right beside the story was an AD promoting the show. |
Michael Poirier
Member
Username: mike_poirier
Post Number: 95
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 1:20 pm: |
|
Hi Jeff,
Had you seen the article that Jim Kalafus and I wrote about Rita Jolivet?
It's at
www.revdma2.com/Rita.html
It details her experiences and has pics from her career and personal life.
Mike
" God will get you for that Walter! "
|
Jim Kalafus
Member
Username: jak
Post Number: 2012
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 11:45 pm: |
|
Try here, too:
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/discus/messages/10245/90010.html?1114553475#POST149561
May I ask which film it was? Since this thread is about Matt Freeman, if you would like to answer please do so on the link I just posted.
~Jim |
