Mr Sidney Frank Rutter (Graves)

Mr S. Graves, 30, was born in Hampshire.

Graves name appears on the signing-on sheets. His address was given as 8 North Front, (Kingsland, Southampton) and his previous ship had been the Oceanic. As a fireman he would have received wages of £6 per month.

It is believed that Graves never boarded the Titanic but that his place was taken by a friend of his, Mr Sidney Frank Rutter (apparently of the same address). Mr Rutter was married to Alice, they had no children 1. He died in the sinking. His body, if recovered, was never identified.

Although the casualty list, handed to the Board of Trade by White Star in June 1912, still listed "S. Graves" the mix-up had clearly been resolved by the time the Titanic Relief Fund trustees met. Alice Rutter would receive 12 shillings and 6 pence weekly allowance from the fund as a class G dependant (Case C. 119).

Notes
1. According to family sources, Rutter, on returning from a period at sea had travelled from Southampton to Poole to see his new grandson [sic] who had been born in his absence. On returning to Southampton he found that in his absence he had not been allocated a berth. His friend, presumably Graves, who was scheduled for the Titanic for some reason did not wish to take up his station and the two men swapped identities. The baby that Rutter visited, now aged 89, recalls Alice Rutter drawing a pension from The White Star Line after Rutter's death.

References
Agreement and Account of Crew (PRO London, BT100/259)
United States Senate, Washington 1912. n° 806, Crew List
Casualty List, Public Record Office (BT100/259)
Mansion House Titanic Relief Fund Booklets and Minute Books

Acknowledgements
Anna Sutton, UK
Keith Sutton, UK

Contributors
Hermann Söldner, Germany
Brian Ticehurst, UK
Bill Wormstedt, USA