My second book about the RMS Titanic and her passengers and crew along with some movie talk. Same rules apply, no drama, trolls, and disrespecting the people on this ship
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
December 19th, 1902 - January 27th, 1982
He is a Scorpio.
Frank John William Goldsmith was born in Strood, Kent, England to Kent natives Frank John Goldsmith (born 1879) and Emily Alice Brown (born 1880) who had married the year prior to his birth. He had a younger brother, Albert John (born 1905). The family appear on the 1911 census living at Home Street, Strood. Before the close of of the year Frank lost Albert to diphtheria at the age of 6.
Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912: His maternal grandparents several aunts and uncles had emigrated and settled in Detroit, Michigan around 1910 and it was decided that the Goldsmiths would also settle there. They boarded the RMS Titanic at Southampton on April 10th, 1912 as 3rd class passengers. Also travelling with them from Strood was an acquaintance, Thomas Theobald and another from Surrey, Alfred Rush. Onboard the ship Frank made friends with similarly aged boys and spent the days running wild around the ship; he recalled them popping their heads into a stokehold and saw the firemen busy at work, singing and banging their shovels in time with the music.
On the night of the sinking the family were in their cabin; Frank slept through the impact and it was his father who wakened him. The family then made for the upper decks with Theobald and Rush and managed, along with several of their other shipboard acquaintances to find their way to the forward end of the starboard boat deck where 4 collaspable boats were being prepared for launch. Frank's father bore farewell to his wife and son and saw them off in collaspable C. Rush was also offered a place but he declined, preferring to remain with the men; Frank recalled how Theobald, sending the helplessness of the situation, gave his wedding ring to Emily so that she might send it to his wife back in England.
After The Sinking/Later Life/Death: Frank and Emily survived the sinking; his father was among the lost. Aboard the RMS Carpathia he became acquainted with several of the surviving crew, including fireman John "Sam" Collins who helped to lift his spirits. He and Emily arrived in New York and were cared for by the Salvation Army before being shuttled off to Detroit where his family were waiting. Emily was remarried in 1914 to another Strood man, becoming Harry Illman and she would later die in 1955. Growing up in Detroit Frank's house was situated close to a baseball stadium; he later recalled that every time a home run was scored the roar of the crowd reminded him of the sound made by hundreds of people struggling in the water.
This haunted him so much that he never brought his own children to a baseball game. Schooling in Detroit, by the age of 17, Frank was working as a stock chaser in an automobile factory but later worked for a dairy company as a salesman for many years. He coached the girls' baseball team for the Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church and here he met his wife, Victoria Agnes Lawrence (October 28th, 1905), a native of Michigan, but the 2 didn't get along at first. They were married in 1926 and had 3 sons: James Richard (1927 - 2009), Charles B. (born 1934), and Frank John (born 1936). Frank and his family appear on the 1940 census living at Wark Avenue, Detroit and he was described as a salesman in a creamery company.
He later left that profession sometime after the 1940's and moved to Mansfield, Ohio where he ran a photographic supplies store and wrote several manuals on aerial photography. He retired in 1973 and moved to Florida in 1879 and lived at Blue Lane in Orlando up until his death. Frank would often become quiet over the period of April each year, perhaps dwelling on his memories of the disaster. In 1966 he was asked by the chairman of his Rotary Club to recount his experiences, initially an uneasy experience for him. Soon he was flooded with invites for interviews, granting many and only charging for gas money if he had to travel, being shocked once he became involved with the Titanic Historical Society and attended several conventions in the 1970's, getting the chance to meet other Titanic survivors.
Frank had his first stroke of many in 1970 and also developed painful arthritis. He was due to attend the Philadelphia convention of the Titanic Historical Society in April of 1982, having received an invite and looking forward to the event. He succumbed to another stroke on January 27th, 1982, having stayed up late that night to watch the news. As per his own wishes Frank was cremated. Following an orchestration of events between many people, his remains were scattered from a Coast Guard reconnaissance plane on April 15th, 1982 over the spot where Titanic was estimated to have foundered. Victoria died in September 30th, 1993 and she is buried in Strickland Cemetery in Hayesville, Ashland, Ohio.
