| Gladys Crompton Saloon Passenger Lost |
|
 Gladys Crompton and children. Image: New York Times, 8 May 1915. |
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| Born | Gladys Mary Salis-Schwabe 3 February 1878 Cumbersall House, Lancaster, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 7 May 1915 (age 37) At sea |
| Age on Lusitania | 37 |
| Ticket number | 46081 |
| Cabin number | D 56 |
| Traveling with | – Paul Crompton (husband) – Stephen Crompton (son) – Alberta Crompton (daughter) – Catherine Crompton (daughter) – Romilly Crompton (son) – John Crompton (son) – Peter Crompton (son) – Dorothy Allen (nurse) |
| Body number | Not recovered or identified |
| Occupation | Wife/homemaker |
| Citizenship | British (England) |
| Residence | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Other name(s) | None |
| Spouse(s) | Paul Crompton (1900 – 1915, their deaths) |
Gladys Crompton (1878 – 1915), 38, was the wife of Paul Crompton. The family was returning home to England after living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gladys and Paul Crompton were traveling aboard Lusitania with children Stephen, Alberta, Catherine, Paul (called Romilly), John, and Peter, and the children’s nurse Dorothy Allen. The entire family and their nurse was lost in the Lusitania disaster on 7 May 1915.
Life
Gladys Mary Salis-Schwabe was born on 3 February 1878 in Cumbersall House, Lancaster. She was the daughter of George Salis Schwabe, Major of the 16th Lancers, and his wife, Mary Jacqueline James. Gladys’s travels began almost at birth: as the daughter of an army officer, she, her mother, and siblings followed Major Schwabe to various posts across the United Kingdom. By 1898 Schwabe had been appointed Major General of the Royal Hospital Chelsea; home of the famous Chelsea pensioners.
While in London, Gladys met and became engaged to Paul Crompton – by then a successful merchant. They were married at St Luke’s Church, Chelsea, London, England, United Kingdom, on October 24th, 1900. The couple moved into Paul’s home in Mecklenburg Square, Clerkenwell after their honeymoon.
Paul and Gladys traveled frequently, as Paul Crompton worked for the Booth Group and in 1902 the company sent Paul Crompton to China, where he would be working on raw materials. Paul and Gladys’ children were born in different places around the world.
Stephen Hugh Crompton was born in Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East in 1901. Alberta Crompton was born in South America in 1903. Catherine was born in London, England around 1905. The three youngest children were born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Paul Romilly Crompton was born in 1904; John David Crompton was born in 1909; Peter Romilly Crompton was born in Philadelphia in 1914.
Business continued to take Paul Crompton back and forth across the Atlantic, and on nearly every occasion, his wife and children accompanied him. They usually traveled aboard Lusitania. By early 1915, it became apparent to Mr. Crompton that his financial interests in England made it imperative that he live there. It was later said that the Booth Steamship Company had made him a handsome offer, the specifics of which possibly required the move.
Crompton initially took passage for himself and his family on a Dutch steamer, but because it did not provide direct passage to England, he cancelled the booking. He then booked passage aboard Lusitania. The family intended to move to 29 Gilston Road, Kensington, Middlesex, upon arrival in the United Kingdom.
Lusitania
Paul Crompton was shipping sheepskin accouterments for the British Army aboard Lusitania‘s final voyage. The Crompton’s ticket for the voyage was 46081. Paul and Gladys stayed in cabin D-56 while the children were split up between cabins D-58 and D-60. The children’s nanny, Dorothy Allen, stayed in cabin B-60. The Crompton family had been so loud that their neighbor, Theodate Pope in D-54, requested to be moved to another cabin.
The entire Crompton family was lost in the Lusitania disaster when the German submarine U-20 torpedoed the ship on 7 May 1915. Dorothy Allen and two or three of the children may have been the nanny and children who Wallace Phillips saw rushing into the B deck foyer, shouting, “Torpedo!” as the torpedo was about to hit the ship.
Samuel Knox saw the Cromptons during the disaster, relating later:
I saw Paul Crompton, of Chestnut Hill, with four of his little children. He was tying to fasten a belt around the smallest, a mere baby.
One of his two older daughters, a girl of about 12, was having trouble with the belt she was trying to put on by herself. ‘Please will you show me how to fix this?’ she asked unconcernedly. I adjusted it, and she thanked me.
The bodies of Stephen, John, and Peter were recovered. All 6 children, their parents and nurse died. Per the list of interments, Master John Crompton was body #192, age 6 years, grave #482; Master Peter Crompton was body #214, age 9 months, grave #482; Mr. Stephen Crompton was body #134, age 17 years, grave #482.
A picture of Mrs. Crompton and the children appeared in The New York Times, Sunday, 9 May 1915, page 6.
Links of interest
Paul Crompton at Biographies of Interesting People
Encyclopedia Titanica: Lest We Forget – Part 1
Contributors
Cliff Barry, UK
J.J. Heath-Caldwell, UK
Jim Kalafus, USA
Peter Kelly, Ireland
Michael Poirier, USA
Mike Redwood
Judith Tavares
References
Heath-Caldwell, J.J. “Paul Crompton.” Biographies of Interesting People. Web. 4 August 2011. <http://www.jjhc.info/cromptonpaul1915.htm>.
Kalafus, Jim and Michael Poirier (2005) Lest We Forget : Part 1 ET Research. <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/lusitania-lest-we-forget.html>
“Lucy Henrietta Romilly.” ThePeerage.com. Web. 4 August 2011. <http://thepeerage.com/p20415.htm#i204145>.
Redwood, Mike. “The Booth Group.” Mike Redwood. Web. 4 August 2011. <http://www.mikeredwood.com/booth_group>.
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