Ismay’s Valet on the Titanic: The Story of Richard Thomas Fry
I have been learning about some of the people who were on the Titanic, and today I wanted to tell you a little about Richard Thomas Fry.
He was born John Richard Fry on the 23rd of November 1872 in London. His father was a photographer and artist. The family moved to the north, first to Coatham and then to Sheffield. He found work as a footman for a wealthy manufacturing family, a position that required discipline, discretion.
By 1901, he had become a butler for the Pilkington family in Rainford. His career was moving upwards, and on the 24th of August 1904 he married Mary Ann Burton in Liverpool. Around the same time, he took up a new role as valet to J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line.
In April 1912, Fry travelled with Ismay on board the RMS Titanic. He had cabin B-102, close to his employer. When the ship hit the iceberg on the 14th of April, chaos unfolded. While Ismay survived, Fry sadly did not and his body was never identified.
Afterwards, Ismay supported Fry’s family.
Do you think people like Richard Fry, are often overlooked in the story of Titanic?
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