RMS Titanic Book 2

Victor Francis Sunderland

March 17th, 1892 - August 21st, 1973

He is a Pisces.

Victor Francis Patrick Sunderland was born in Upton Park, Essex, England on St Patrick's Day in Ireland, and was named for the day. He was the eldest child of James William Sunderland (born 1872) and Marie Catherine Foley (born 1872) who had married in 1899. His father, a boilermaker and later a house decorator, and was originally from Southampton, Hampshire and his mother was of East Hen, Essex and was from a Irish family. His parents went on to have 9 children, with 5 surviving infancy. His known siblings are: Marion Theresa (born 1893 aka Daisy), James William (born 1897), Phillip (born 1900), Albert Edward (1903 - 1903), and Mary Teresa (born 1905). Victor appears on the 1901 census living with his family at Millen Road in West Ham, Essex. By the time of the 1911 census the family were living at Marlborough Road, Forest Gate, East Ham, Essex although Victor was absent and his whereabouts at the time isn't certain.

Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912:
A resident of London, Victor was travelling to Cleveland, Ohio to stay with his uncle, J.P. Foley. He boarded the RMS Titanic at Southampton as a 3rd class passenger. On the night of the sinking, Victor was in his bunk in Section G. He and his 2 cabin mates were smoking and Victor had on his trousers; his best and coat were hanging on a rack. A little before midnight he felt a slight jar and heard a noise "similar to that of a basket of coal would make if dropped on a iron plate." Victor and 6 others went up the companion way to the main deck where a steward told them to go back. They could see ice on the deck but the steward told them nothing was wrong so they went back to their cabin.

They laid down on their bunks gain and smoked for a quarter of a hour more. Suddenly, water tarted pouring in under the door. They instantly knew something was very wrong and 3 of them then ran back to the main deck. The other men remained in bed. Victor thought they might have drowned. Victor was told to return to his cabin to get his lifebelt. They went back, but found their room was already under water. They ran aft between the decks and up to the main decks. There they found a Catholic priest praying and a crowd of men and women kneeling. Others were running about, beginning to panic. Victor separated from his 2 companions who went aft to the taffrail. Victor ent to the mid-promenade deck and then up to the boat deck.

He found the boat deck crowded along the starboard side. The crew were filling lifeboats with women and children and lowering them away. Victor claimed that standing near him were Mr and Mrs. Straus. An officer was trying to convince them to get into a boat but Mrs. Straus said "Let me have my husband." When told that only she could get into the lifeboat she replied "Then I will die with him." Whether Victor actually saw this is uncertain and he also claimed to have seen an officer firing a revolver in the air once or twice and then shooting a man who had refused to get out of a boat. Victor began to search for a lifebelt. He saw a steward in a lifeboat with 3 belts and asked him for one, but he refused. Victor asked a crew member if he knew where he could find one but the crewmember didn't know. The ship was beginning to list to port and the lifeboats along the starboard side were almost all gone. The passengers were moving to the port side, but were kept back by crewmembers. 

Victor stayed close to the forward part of the boat deck where 2nd officer Charles Lightoller and several firemen were tying to launch Collapsable B. Water began gushing towards him as the bow of the ship begin to sink rapidly. Some firemen began jumping overboard and Victor followed. He swam away and saw collaspable B floating next the sinking Titanic, washed overboard. He grabbed onto as it float near the forward funnel, moments later the funnel came down. Victor thought the ship broke in two at that time. Victor and about 27 or 28 other men climbed onto collapsible B.

Many others were pushed away, those aboard attempting to keep the boat from being overloaded. Victor stated that he was near waist deep in the water. Someone aboard asked how many Catholics were onboard and the same person began to say the Lord's Prayer and then the Hail Mary, with the others following. In the early morning they spotted the RMS Carpathia and Lightoller signalled lifeboat 12 to take them off. Victor was the fifth person to climb into lifeboat 12. On the Carpathia he recalled being given cold coffee.

After The Sinking/Later Life/Death:
Arriving in New York aboard Carpathia, Victor was described as a 20-year-old groom and gave his destination as to the home of his uncle Foley at Superior Avenue in Cleveland. He was taken to the Salvation Army home and fed and clothed and was then briefly hospitalised at St. Vincent's Hospital where he remained until April 20th. From the 20th to the 24th of April, Victor went to the White Star offices and tried to recover money he had lost in the wreck. He also "saw the sights." He travelled by train to Cleveland and showed up at his uncle's house unexpectedly on April 26th. Victor later settled in Toronto; he was married there on June 12th, 1914 to May Annie McNaughton (August 8th, 1892). McNaughton was born in Perth, Scotland to William and Elizabeth McNaughton and had come to Canada in 1913. At the time of their marriage Victor's address was listed as Parke Avenue and his profession as a tyre finisher. It was also stated that he was by then Presbyterian.

Victor and Mary had one son, Kenneth Byron (April 23rd. 1915), later a physician. The family appear on the 1921 census living at Inverness Avenue, Toronto and Victor was described as a plumber, a profession he would remain with until his retirement. A 1949 immigration record from when he visited friends in Florida describes him as standing at 5' 8" and with black hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion and his then address was stated as Waverly Road, Toronto. His initial method of arrival in the USA was stated as aboard the Titanic. Victor remained in Toronto for the rest of his life and died there on August 21st, 1973 at the age of 81. His widow passed away 5 years later in December of 1978 and they are buried together in Saint John's Norway Cemetery, Toronto. Kenneth died on September 30th, 1981.

Sources:
www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Rest In Peace Victor Francis Sunderland.

Note: I really have zero clue how the world he's gonna travel on the Titanic in that time when Titanic literally sunk on her maiden voyage......