Richard Taylor, 31, was a British citizen from Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was a hat manufacturer. His ticket for Lusitania was 13165. His cabin aboard the ship was B-95. Taylor survived the Lusitania sinking. He made the following statement that was published in the New York Times on 10 May 1915:
R. T. Taylor, a hat manufacturer of Montreal, dwelt upon the lack of a convoy as a “mistake.” He also spoke of the failure of the Lusitania to go at top speed, saying:
“How the Lusitania’s officers can account for letting her creep through waters known to be dangerous is beyond me. It showed, to my mind, a queer lack of the simplest precautions. I fail also to understand why she took the course she did, knowing that submarines had been there the day before.
“Who blundered? The rescued passengers at Queenstown to whom I talked all commented on the Captain daring to run the Lusitania at slow speed and in the course he pursued. Nothing, of course, can shift the blame from Germany for willful murder, but the point I make is that more care should have been exercised by those on whom the lives of the passengers depended.”
Taylor returned to North America aboard the American Line’s St. Louis on 7 June 1915. A photo from the Bettman Archive shows him with fellow Lusitania survivors Arthur Thomas Mathews, Charles Hardwick, and Robert Rankin.
Contributors:
Judith Tavares
References:
“Survivors of Lusitania Disaster.” Corbis Images. Web. 27 July 2011. <http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/U28172INP/survivors-of-lusitania-disaster>.
“Attack Liner’s Handling: Passengers Ask Why She Didn’t Change Course and Run at Top Speed.” New York Times. Monday, 10 May 1915. Web. 6 August 2011. <http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A05E1D9123FE233A25753C1A9639C946496D6CF>.
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