Mr.
GEORGE SLINGSBY, Saloon Class Passenger
[No Picture Provided]
George Slingsby, 26, was born in 1889 to a simple, country couple who
lived on the estate of the wealthy Whitakker family. As George grew
older he aspired to be part of the inside staff and worked his way up from
garden boy at Rufford Abbey to butler for Squire Foljamb at Osberton Hall.
He considered the life of a butler very lonely and after awhile moved
on, much to the disappointment of the Foljamb family. He eventually
landed the position of valet to Sir Frederick Orr-Lewis, a wealthy Canadian
who owned the estate of Whitewebbs.
In 1915, his boss had to oversee some business and they took passage on
the Lusitania. When this was done, they decided to return on the
Lusitania and their friend Marguerite,
Lady Allan booked passage with them.
Slingsby's biography by his daughter states that he was in second class,
but in actuality George traveled in saloon class with Sir Frederick. Slingsby
had his own cabin and dined in the magnificent saloon class dining room with
William Stainton (valet to Charles Frohman),
Emily Davis, and Annie Walker (maids to Lady Allan). Their table was
on C Deck of the first class dining room on the starboard side facing the
open deck through the window.
Onboard the Lusitania, he oftened to entertained the Allan girls
Anna and Gwendolyn.
On the final day, George remembered the alteration the ship's course
about 1:30pm, and that it was so sharp that it caused several glasses from
the ship's bar to fall. Slingsby and Stainton were running late and
joined Emily and Annie at their table in the saloon. They listened
to the band play "Tipperary" when Slingsby looked out the window and saw something.
Looking closer, he saw the wake of a torpedo.
He called everyone's attention to it, including Inspector William Pierpont
who also saw the wake. As the torpedo impacted, Slingsby ran to B Deck
to try and find his employer who was in the lounge with Lady Allan, her
daughters, Robert Holt, Dorothy Braithwaite
and Frances Stephens. Sir Frederick Orr-Lewis and his party stepped
out onto the portside deck where George found them. Slingsby selflessly gave
his lifebelt to Lady Allan even though he couldn't swim. Grimly, he
may have been reminded of the drowning death of his brother John.
As the ship sank, Slingsby was dumped into the water. He swam to
a raft which he found to be sinking. He then found himself clinging
to a cylinder and that was the last thing he remembered until he was rescued
hours later. He found Sir Frederick and the two travelled back to Whitewebbs.
George married Dorothy Lawrence, whom he had known prior to his sailing
on the Lusitania.
After his death on 9 June 1967, George's daughter Nina Slingsby Smith
wrote a biography about her father entitled, George: Memoirs of
a Gentleman's Gentleman.
Contributors:
Randy Bryan Bigham
Michael Poirier
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