Miss
Gerda Theoline Neilson, Third Class Passenger
[No Picture Provided]
Gerda Neilson, 29, was born in Norway around 1885 to Thomas Neilson,
a seaman by trade. She had a sister, Thomasine, who was seven years
her senior. Her appearance was described as 5'6", with fair hair and
blue eyes.
Mrs. Neilson had died soon after Gerda's birth, and Gerda was relatively
young when she, her father, and sister moved to England. They settled
in South Shields, Durham, England. As of 1901, Thomas was retired
and Thomasine took care of him. Then, Gerda was working as an apprentice
milliner. Some years later, Gerda moved to Hebburn, not far from
South Shields. She had visited the United States in 1908, and after
her father's death, decided to move to New York City.
In October 1910, Gerda set sail for the United States on the Cunard
liner Mauretania, arriving in the city on 7 October. She settled
in Brooklyn, New York, where her friend, Mrs. Gabrielson of 95 Bedford Avenue
had agreed beforehand to house her. In New York, Gerda continued to
work as a dressmaker.
Gerda booked passage on the Lusitania to return to the old
country in the spring of 1915, to see her sister Thomasine, who was still
living in South Shields. While on deck on the morning of the sailing,
she met John Welsh, an engineer returning home to Manchester, England. A
romance soon blossomed between them.
The first night out, John invited Gerda to sit with him at dinner.
Next to them were Frank, Elsie, and George
Hook, and Thomas, Annie, and Thomas Marsh, Jr.
Gerda and John often kept to themselves, as lovers often do, in a
corner of the third class lounge. On the night of Thursday, 6 May,
they sought a change of scenery and went for a walk on deck. There,
under the stars, John proposed to Gerda and she accepted. They decided
to get married as soon as the Lusitania reached England.
On Friday afternoon, 7 May, John and Gerda were back in their corner
of the third class lounge after luncheon when the torpedo struck. Rushing
onto the deck, the lovers pledged to "sink or swim together." John
placed a lifebelt on Gerda and he then placed her in what they believed
to be one of the last lifeboats. The boat soon upset and tossed everyone
inside, including Gerda, into the water. Wasting no time, John clamored
over the rail of the Boat Deck and dived overboard. He was determined
to ensure Gerda's survival.
In the water, John supported Gerda and kept her afloat until a lifeboat
came to pick her up. John would later say, "she was braver than any
man I've ever met" and that she encouraged him while they were in the water.
They reached a lifeboat where the people inside did not want to take
Gerda in, but did so anyway. After pulling her in, however, Gerda's
rescuers refused to also bring in John as they claimed that there was
no more room. Gerda pleaded with those in the boat and they relented.
John Welsh and
Gerda Neilson's marriage certificate. Editor's collection.
The rescued couple took a ferry to England and, on Thursday, 13 May, not
even a week since the disaster, John and Gerda were married in the register
office of Chorlton, Manchester, England. Their marriage was witnessed
by Jane Fletcher, Ellen Fletcher, and Mary Gibbons. They proceeded
to live at 31 Carlton Terrace in Gorton, a Manchester suburb.
Unfortunately, Gerda and John were unable to have children. The
memories of the disaster were too much for Gerda to live with, and she
went insane. John committed her to a mental hospital, and while he
hoped that she would get better, she did not. Years later, John moved
away for work, and died in Bomsgrove in 1941. Gerda lived in the
mental hospital until her death on 2 June 1961. Her mental health
never recovered. Curiously, her obituary claimed that she was the
last survivor of the Lusitania disaster.
Gerda is named Gerta Nielson in Hoehling and Hoehling, in Preston
she is named Gerda Nielson.
