Frederick Dent Ray (20 June 1879 – 15 January 1977) was one of the last remaining male survivors of the and was one of the longest living among the surviving crew.
Early life
Frederick Dent Ray was born in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
on June 20, 1879. He was the son of Charles Adolphus Hopson Ray (1847-1913) and Sarah Newport (1848-1919). In 1908, he was married in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
to Annie Beatrice Burt (b.1855) and they remained childless.
Aboard ''Titanic''
Aged 32, Ray boarded the on 10 April 1912, as a first-class saloon steward for a monthly wage of £3 15p after being redirected from the ship .
On Sunday, 14 April 1912, his shift ended at 9 pm and he went to room 3 on E-deck, where he slept with 27 others. Awoken by the collision, he first thought it was a problem in the engine room, and he began to drift back to sleep when two stewards arrived to tell people to prepare and go to the lifeboats.
After assisting recalcitrant passengers into Lifeboats 9 and 11, Mr. Ray boarded the half-full Lifeboat 13. As the boat was lowered into the water, a wrapped infant was tossed down to Ray, who caught the child and brought it to safety.
Ray survived the sinking and made it to the ship . He returned home to his wife, who was in North Wales for recuperation from ill health.
Later life
Frederick's wife Annie died in 1952. He was remarried a few months later to Rose Mary Ray, née Lawrence (b. 4 December 1890). They spent some time in
Maidstone, Kent
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it with Rochester and the T ...
, before settling in
Billericay
Billericay ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon in Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, east of the City of London. The town was founded in the 13th century by the Stratford Langthorne Abbey, Abbot of West Ham, ...
,
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, where he spent the rest of his life.
Death
Frederick died in Basildon Hospital on 15 January 1977 following complications from fracturing his hip and was later cremated. Aged 97 years, 6 months and 26 days, he became the longest living among the surviving crew, and his death left only two remaining crewmen,
Frank Prentice and Sidney Daniels.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Frederick Dent
1879 births
1977 deaths
People from Southwark
RMS Titanic survivors
Sailors from London