Mr. Frederick R. Bailey

Frederick Bailey, 40, of Orange, New Jersey, United States, was traveling on the Lusitania with his sister Agnes Veals and her husband Albert Veals.  The three were traveling to England to visit Bailey’s father.

On May 7th, the day of the disaster, Fred, Agnes, and Albert had finished lunch and were sitting on starboard deck when one of the Veales got up and looked over the rail, stating, “Look, there’s a porpoise.”  This was actually the torpedo that impacted the ship, sending up a deluge of water and debris.

In the resulting confusion, Fred was separated from the Veals.  Realizing that the ship was going down at an alarming rate, Fred slid down the side of the ship.  He swam to a swamped lifeboat, from which he was washed off three times before he was rescued by a minesweeper.

Arriving in Queenstown, Bailey found Agnes and Albert at a local hotel.  They traveled to Fishguard and then to the home of Fred and Agnes’ father.  Bailey and the Veales took part in the Lord Mayor’s efforts to raise money for the Lusitania Relief Fund.

Contributor:
Michael Poirier