Ruth Wordsworth, 37, was returning to England aboard Lusitania with her brother Osmund to see their parents in Salisbury, England. Osmund was returning to England to enlist in the British Army. Both brother and sister survived the Lusitania sinking but did not know each other’s fate until they reunited in Ireland. She survived by clinging onto an overturned collapsible and was rescued by the Julia.
Ruth was the third child of Rev. Prebendary Christopher Wordsworth and Mary Reeve. She had eight siblings: Dorothy Mary, Christopher Andrews, John Vincent, Osmund Bartle, William Arthur, Susanna Mary, Reginald, and Irene.
As of 1915, Ruth had been a missionary in Japan. She met her brother Osmund in Canada and planned to return to England. There they booked a second cabin ticket for Lusitania. Ruth recalled the crew of the ship to be friendly, and stewardess Fannie Morecroft had left a positive impression with her.
When the German u-boat U-20 torpedoed Lusitania on Friday, 7 May 1915, Ruth was knocked unconscious by the explosion of either the torpedo or second explosion. Ruth regained consciousness in the water and did not know how she survived. She ended up on an overturned collapsible and was picked up by the rescue vessel Julia. Ruth did not know if her brother had survived until they were reunited in Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland.
Ruth’s injuries required her to stay in hospital for some time. Osmund joined the army and was killed in action in Arras, France, in 1917.
Contributors
“LondonGirl,” UK
Hildur Panula-Heinonen
Michael Poirier, USA
References
Panula-Heinonen, Hildur. “Osmund Bartle ‘Barty’ Wordsworth,” Find-A-Grave. Online. Accessed 8 May 2013. <http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=70833352>.
“The Sinking of the Lusitania: A Survivor’s Story.” HubPages.com. Online. Accessed 8 August 2011. <http://hubpages.com/hub/The-sinking-of-the-Lusitania-A-survivors-story>
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