George William Alfred Beesley (1893 – 1915), 22, was a Junior Assistant Purser aboard the Lusitania. Beesley was killed when the Lusitania was torpedoed on 7 May 1915. His body was either never recovered or not identified, and he is memorialized at Tower Hill, London.
The following biography has been made possible by Peter Kelly and a collaboration with the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
Biography
George William Alfred Beesley was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England in 1893, the son of George Henry and Emily Beesley. His father was a bookkeeper with the Cunard Steam Ship Company and the family home was at 12 Thorndale Road, Waterloo, Liverpool. George was one of two children, but his sibling died while in infancy or early childhood.
He was employed as one of three junior assistant pursers in the Deck Department on board the Lusitania, having signed on at Liverpool on 14 April 1915, at a rate of pay of £6.0s.0d, for what would be her final voyage. He joined her at 7 am on 17 April, before she sailed for New York.
When the liner was sunk, he and both the other two junior assistant pursers, Alfred Harrod and Leonard Hanson Sloane, were killed, along with the Purser, James McCubbin and one of the assistant pursers, Arthur Howell Burden. Only the Assistant Purser, William Herbert Harkness and Second Purser, Percy Draper, survived from the Pursers’ Section.
George Beesley was aged 22 years when he was killed.
His body was not recovered and identified afterwards and as a consequence, he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine War Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
When his will was proven on 7 July 1915, administration was granted to his father and his effects amounted to £101-19s-0d, (£101.95). In addition The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted a yearly pension to his mother to compensate her for the loss of her son, on whom she was obviously financially dependent to some degree, which amounted to £27-8s-5d (£27.42) payable at the rate of £2-5s-9d (£2.28) per month.
Links of interest
George Beesley at the Merseyside Maritime Museum
Contributors
Peter Kelly, Ireland
Ellie Moffat, UK
References
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths
1901 Census of England and Wales
1911 Census of England and Wales
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Cunard Records
Probate Records
PRO BT 334
UniLiv. PR 13/24
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