Mr. William McMillan Adams

William MacMillan Adams, age 19, was traveling with his father Arthur Henry Adams.  They lived in Paris, France, and London, England, but William was studying at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge in England.  Arthur had taken his son to New York for William to think over his decision to join the British Army.  William’s cabin on the Lusitania was D-37.  His father was in D-45. They shared ticket 46102. When the ship was sinking, they both entered lifeboat 17, which upset. William survived the Lusitania sinking. Arthur did not.

William was the son of Arthur and Gertrude Adams of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Hickey and Smith state that the family was descended from the American Revolutionary Samuel Adams, but the family of Arthur and William say that this is not the case. 

At the time of impact, William was in the lounge; Arthur was in his cabin.  William then ran into the corridor where he believed he saw a second torpedo.

William and Arthur met in the corridor and they went to the portside and tried to help Staff Captain Anderson with the lifeboats.  Arthur decided that they should have lifebelts and went back down the main staircase to D-deck. They couldn’t leave the stairs as the water was within four feet of the newel post and the water was pouring in from the ports. They ran up to the starboard side and climbed into lifeboat #17, which was launched disastrously, spilling its people into the water. They contemplated getting back on the ship but decided to jump.  They separated in the water. Arthur subsequently did not survive.

William found a collapsible floating and tried to climb in. At that moment he claimed the mast came over and cut the boat in two and he was thrown into the water.  He made it to another boat despite his injuries. William sustained a fracture of the lower end of the right radius associated with functional paresis of the right forearm which persisted for a period of six months. He had to wear a splint molded to the hand and wrist for more than a year. He also developed a hernia, as a result of the strain to which he was subjected, which needed surgery to remedy. However, he completely recovered from the injuries which he sustained.

After the Lusitania disaster, William joined the army.  After the war he became a successful business man.  He married three times. The third time being to his first ex-wife, after his second wife had passed away.

Related pages

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Arthur and William Adams at the Mixed Claims Commission

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Contributors:
Nicolas Adams (grandson of William Adams)
Michael Poirier

References:
Hickey, Des and Gus Smith.  Seven Days to Disaster.  G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1981.