Woodward (listed Woodworth), Robert

Robert Woodworth/Woodward. The Cunard Line listed him as Robert Woodworth, aged 22 (point of origin Niagara Falls, New York), but he seems in fact to have been Robert Woodward, who had been born at Leigh, Lancashire in 1892, to Edward, a collier hewer born around 1865 at Haydock, Lancahsire, and Alice (nee Beswick, born about 1868 at Tyldesley, Lancashire) Woodward. His parents had married 2 November 1889 in Tyldesley. He was born 22 September 1892 and was christened on 3 November 1892 at St. George’s Church in Tyldesley, Lancashire, in the Church of England tradition. His known brothers and sisters were Laurence, b. 1890, George, b. 1895 (died in childhood), Alice, b. 1897, Edward, b. 1899, and Catherine, b. 1905. Another two siblings had died in childhood. In 1901, the Woodwards lived at Johnson Street in Tyldesley, Lancashire. Robert was 8 years old and his brothers and sisters were Lawrence, 10, Alice, 3, and Edward, 1. In 1911, he was a cotton piecer, apparently at the the Mutual Mills in Heywood, aged 18, living with his family in Tyldesley. He had left Liverpool, England, 23 February 1912 as a steerage (third class) passenger on the steamer Empress of Britain. His last place of permanent residence was Heywood, England, and his closest relative was his father Edward, who lived at Promenade Street in Heywood. His place of birth was registered as Tyldsley (sic). He was noted as an unmarried labourer aged 19 and was going to an Arthur Taylor, who lived at 722 20th Street in Niagara Falls. Mr. Woodward stood 5’6”tall, had a fresh complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. He had come to the USA 3 March 1912. He was working in a silversmith’s works in Niagara Falls. His point of origin in 1915 was Niagara Falls, New York. His family lived at 39 Promenade Street in Heywood, Lancashire, in 1912. . He was working in a silversmith’s works in Niagara Falls. He was interviewed by the Rochdale Observer and stated he went down with the Lusitania when she sank. He was not a swimmer, but was wearing a lifebelt which kept him afloat until he was picked up by a lifeboat, more or less unconscious. He said he saw Mrs. Gwyer being thrown out of a funnel (a funnel nearly crushed him when it fell very close to him). They spent four or five hours in the lifeboat, rowing, until a fishing smack came to their aid. Thereafter they were transferred to a paddle steamer which conveyed them to Queenstown, where Mr. Woodward said they were treated very kindly. He also said there was no panic on the ship during the sinking.

”Woodward had no relatives in Niagara Falls. He has a mother living in England and was returning there with the intention of enlisting and going to the front. He had lived here several years and had been employed by the Oneida Community, Ltd., going with the company to Sherrill, when the plant moved away from here. Subsequently he returned to this city and sometime after the outbreak of the war he crossed to the Canadian side and enlisted in the 44^th regiment.
Because of some physical defect he was rejected by the examining surgeons when he volunteered for overseas service. For a long time he pondered, and finally decided to return to his native home, England, and enlist there.” (Niagara Falls Gazette, 8 May 1915, front page)

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