George William Beauchamp was a British sailor and Titanic survivor. On the Titanic, he worked as a stoker and was rescued in Boat #13, which was launched from the vessel at 1:40 am, shortly before the sinking.
On the Titanic he was paid £6 a month. He later recalled that the water was up to his feet. Beauchamp ran towards the topside and positioned on the starboard deck. Beauchamp's boat was later rescued by the Carpathia around 6.30 am. He said at the British inquiry that immediately after the collision, the watertight doors and dampers began to block and that there was an order to "stop". He also testified that as a stoker, he was given the order to draw fires in the boilers. After drawing the fires, he was relieved and escaped using a ladder. He later recalled helping ladies and children into the boats before being given the order to board lifeboat #13. He said there were around 60 to 70 people on board, among them many men. As a last thing he said there was no lantern on the boat.
British inquiry
Beauchamp gave evidence at the British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry into the sinking of the RMS Titanic before counsel Raymond Asquith, where he responded to several questions with blunt and short responses. Excerpts: "I went... on to the boat deck and across to the starboard side, I had one foot on the deck and one on the lifeboat and I was helping ladies and children into the lifeboat. We had difficulty keeping the lifeboat away from the ship's side and prevent water coming in." "We pulled on the oars to get away as far as possible from the suction of the ship as it went down. I saw the ship godown bow first and I could still see the stern and then that went too. It was a roar like thunder as it went down and I heard cries as the ship sank." "We would have gone back for others but we were full up."
Later life
George Beauchamp continued to work at sea into the 1920s and beyond. He later served on the Cape Mail boats for the Union Line as a leading fireman. Later in life, Beauchamp became a docker in Southampton. He became friends with Bertram Vere Dean, who was the brother of the last Titanic survivor, Millvina Dean.
In 2019, at least three news outlets published articles claiming that, according to Beauchamp's family, he was "also thought to have been aboard the RMS Lusitania" in 1915 when it was torpedoed by a German U-Boat and sank. The articles claim that after the sinking of Lusitania, he supposedly said "I have had enough of large ships and I’m going to work on smaller boats". George Beauchamp from the Titanic was born in 1888 in the Southampton area and died in 1965 also in the Southampton area. He never married. The person whose family was inteviewed was born in London either in 1872 or not later than 1870, and died 1944 in Southampton. He was married at least twice and left descendants. He also supposedly spent part of his life in Kingston upon Hull, where his descendants live.
