Mrs. CHARLES PADLEY
(FLORENCE MAY FRY)
[No Picture Provided]
Florence Padley, née Fry, 25, was born in Liverpool, England,
Great Britain. In 1914, she moved to Canada. Florence was
an artist who loved painting the sea. Her husband, Charles, was a
banker.
In May of 1915, Florence left Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to
visit her hometown of Liverpool. She booked passage on the Lusitania, her cabin, D-8. At
the time of the sailing, she was five months pregnant.
On Friday, 7 May, Florence was sitting in a deck chair on the B deck
promenade. Elbert and Alice Hubbard passed by a few minutes
before someone in front of her remarked, "There's a
porpoise."
Florence got up and went to the railing for a better look. She
realized what it was and cried out, "No, it's a torpedo!"
Florence ran inside and was going to take the elevator down to her
cabin on D deck. Realizing how far below her cabin was, she ran
up to A deck instead, where the boats were. This decision may
have saved her life as the
elevators stalled when the ship lost electricity. Along the way,
she
lost a shoe.
Stepping out onto the boat deck, she heard Staff Captain Anderson
shout, "It's all right. We're making for the shore."
To Florence, land didn't seem close enough. She hesitated to get
in a lifeboat, but after seeing some leave the ship safely, she headed
towards one. She came across Elbert
and Alice Hubbard standing near a
funnel, and Charles Lauriat, who was
looking for them. A woman with a baby came up to Florence and
asked if she could take her baby. Looking back on it, Florence
said, "I told her I did not have a life jacket, she could look after it
better. I felt awful about it."
Florence entered a lifeboat, and as it lowered, it overturned and threw
out everyone inside. She was subsequently rescued.
After her wartime ordeal, Florence returned to
normal life. She was involved in the local woman's council, girls
scouts, and the art community. She was always willing to talk about the
ship to her family and friends. Florence was one of
several survivors who
corresponded with A. A. Hoehling for his book, The Last Voyage of the Lusitania.
Contributors:
Mike Poirier
References:
Hoehling, A. A. and Mary Hoehling. The Last Voyage of
the Lusitania. Madison Books, 1956.
Preston, Diana. Lusitania: An Epic
Tragedy. Berkley Books, 2002.
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