Richard Gaul – Mercantile Marine - R.M.S. Lusitania
Greaser Richard Gaul – Mercantile Marine, R.M.S. Lusitania
Early Life and Family Background
Richard Gaul was born in 1880, in Swansea,
the son of James Gaul and Sarah McAndrew, who were married in 1876.
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| 1881 Census |
At the time of the 1881 Census, the Gaul family were living at 170 Neath Road, Swansea. James, aged 30 and born in Ireland, worked as a Furnaceman, while his wife Sarah, also Irish-born, was 22 years old. Their two children were Mary (4) and Richard (1). Also present was a boarder, James Lane, aged 34, also from Ireland.
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| 1891 Census |
By the 1891 Census, the family had moved to 7 Scyborfach Street, Swansea. James, 39, continued to work as a furnaceman, while Sarah, aged 30, cared for their growing household. Their children were Mary (14), Richard (11), John (9), Gertrude (7), Bartholomew (6), James (5), and Catherine (3 months).
During the 1890s, the family relocated to Liverpool,
where maritime employment opportunities were abundant. Sadly, James Gaul
died in 1899, leaving Sarah widowed with several children still
at home.
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| 1901 Census |
Marriage and Working Life
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| Marriage Record |
In 1905, Richard Gaul married Bridget Kehoe at St Alphonsus Church, Liverpool. The couple went on to raise a family.
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| 1911 Census |
By the 1911 Census, the Gauls were residing at 8 Wilkin Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool. Richard, aged 33, was employed as a Marine Seaman, while his Irish-born wife Bridget, aged 26, kept the home. Their children were John (5), Jenny (2), and Sarah (6 months).
As a Greaser, Richard’s job was one of the hardest
and most dangerous aboard ship. Deep in the engine room, he was responsible for
lubricating and maintaining the vast, hot, and noisy machinery that kept the
vessel running — a role vital to the operation of any steamship.
Loss of the R.M.S. Lusitania
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| R.M.S. Lusitania |
The Lusitania, owned by the Cunard Line, was
en route from New York to Liverpool with nearly 1,960 people
aboard. The torpedo struck on the starboard side, causing a massive explosion,
and the great liner sank within 18 minutes. Of those on board, 1,193
men, women, and children lost their lives, including Greaser Richard Gaul.
Working below decks, men of his rank had almost no chance of survival once the
ship began to list and flood.
The tragedy caused international outrage,
particularly in the United States, and became one of the defining
maritime disasters of the First World War. The sinking of the Lusitania
played a key role in turning world opinion against Germany’s unrestricted
submarine warfare, which targeted merchant and passenger ships alike.
The R.M.S. Lusitania
The R.M.S. Lusitania was a British ocean
liner built for the Cunard Line and launched in 1906. At the
time of her completion, she was among the fastest and largest passenger
ships afloat, built to serve the prestigious Liverpool–New York route.
Measuring over 787 feet in length and powered by four propellers
driven by steam turbines, she was capable of speeds exceeding 25 knots
and was regarded as a triumph of British engineering.
When the Lusitania entered service, she represented
the height of transatlantic luxury and power. However, by 1915, the war had
transformed the Atlantic into a battleground. On 7th May 1915,
while nearing the Irish coast, the ship was struck by a torpedo fired by U-20,
and a secondary internal explosion caused her rapid sinking. The loss of life —
including many civilians and Americans — shocked the world.
The German Submarine SM U-20
The SM U-20 was a Type U-19 class submarine
of the Imperial German Navy, commissioned in August 1913.
Measuring 64 metres in length and displacing about 650 tons surfaced,
she carried four torpedo tubes (two forward and two aft) and an 8.8
cm deck gun.
Under the command of Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger,
U-20 became infamous for her attack on the Lusitania. The
submarine fired a single torpedo at the liner on 7 May 1915, striking
her starboard side and triggering a massive secondary explosion that sealed her
fate.
Over her wartime service, U-20 was credited with sinking
37 ships. Her own end came in November 1916, when she ran aground
off the coast of Jutland, Denmark, and was destroyed by her crew to
prevent capture.
Commemoration
Greaser Richard Gaul is commemorated on the Tower
Hill Memorial, London, which honours the men and women of the Merchant
Navy and Fishing Fleets who died at sea during the First World War
and have no known grave but the ocean.R.M.S. Lusitania
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - findagrave
Legacy
At 35 years old, Richard Gaul was a husband,
father, and experienced seaman whose life ended in one of the most tragic
maritime events of the Great War. His story links Swansea and Liverpool
to a global event that resonated far beyond Britain’s shores.
His name, carved into the Tower Hill Memorial, stands
as a lasting reminder of the men of the Mercantile Marine whose courage
and labour underpinned Britain’s lifelines at sea — and who, like Richard, paid
the ultimate price in the service of their country
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