Richard Preston Prichard, 29, was a medical student at McGill University in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. He was lost in the Lusitania sinking. His mother wrote letters to several survivors after the disaster to find out more about what might have happened to him.
Prichard had a brother, Mostyn, who lived in Ramsgate. Before sailing on the Lusitania, Prichard had put his papers in order and told a fellow student where to find his will if anything happened to him.
Prichard’s cabin on the Lusitania was D-90. During the voyage, he was often seen in the company of Grace French. Prichard had teased her that she had a double on board and went to go find her when the torpedo hit. After the torpedo hit, Grace lost track of Prichard. Alice Middleton, who had a crush on him but was too shy to speak to him throughout the entire voyage, remembered that he assisted her in reaching the upper decks during the last moments of the sinking.
Prichard was lost in the disaster. His brother Mostyn came to Queenstown to look for his body but found nothing. Subsequently, his mother wrote several survivors in hopes that they would be able to tell her what happened to Richard in the last moments. Several survivors that his mother wrote could not offer details but only condolences. The letters exchange dropped after a few years and it seems unlikely that the Prichard family ever found closure.
The Prichard Letters are available through the Imperial War Museum by e-mailing Tony Richards at <docs@iwm.org.uk>
Although referred to as “Dick Prichard” in Diana Preston’s book, he was more commonly known as “Preston” or just plain “Richard.”
Related pages
Contributors:
Jim Kalafus
Michael Poirier
References:
Preston, Diana. Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy. Berkley Books, 2002.
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