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Record #16717
Name :
: William MINTRAM (1889 - 1970)


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 25 Jan 1889

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 31 Nov 1970
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 1 Jul 1905
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Southwark

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesWilliam was the son of William Mintram and his wife Eliza May Rose Veal. One evening, while William was alone in their home with his parents, his father stabbed his mother in the back whereupon she died. He claimed it was an accident, but was sent to prison for 12 years for her death. Three of their five children would subsequently be taken in by the Dr. Barnardo Homes and brought to Canada. Two of his brother, Charles and George would return to England to live after their service in the war, but William would remain in Saskatchewan where he would raise a family. William married Johanna Lilian Thornsteinson who died in 1915. With Johanna he would have daughter Rose. His second wife was Margaret Alice Ann Chaffin, with whom he had several children.

On May 1, 1915 William enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. He claimed his next of kin was his sister Rose Hurst, that he was a widower with 3 children and was born in Southhampton, England.

The death of his mother would make headlines after his father William, died aboard the Titanic. Article from The Times
Monday November 24, 1902 said he was tried for the wilful murder of his wife at Southampton on October 18, 1902.

The prisoner and his wife did not live happily. At 10:30pm on that day William came home and found his supper prepared for him, the only other person present being his son, William, who gave evidence that the wife Eliza May Rose was sitting in a chair when William came in and slapped her in the face. After a short interval William got up and took a knife and stabbed Eliza in the back, resulting in death. The Jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, and the judge sentenced him to 12 years penal servitude. The judge in this case was Mr Justice Bigham, who later presided over the Titanic enquiry as Lord Mersey, President of the Wreck Commisioner's Court.

Another newspaper reported that a police officer had called at the house half an hour earlier to break up a quarrel between the two as a large crowd had gathered outside the house.

Mintram claimed that the quarrel was over the fact that his wife had pawned his son?s boots to buy drink for herself, and that he had had a bit to drink too when he came home, when she slapped him across the face he stabbed her in the back with a knife, accidentally.

Mintram was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to twelve years penal servitude for manslaughter but served only three.

In 1903, Charles Mintram, 10, arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in a group of 57 Barnardo children en route to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

His father's fate went to become part of history. By 1912 William Mintram was living next door to his eldest daughter who had by then married Walter Hurst, another stoker with the White Star Line. When the Titanic left Southampton, both men were signed up for coal shoveling duties along with Walter's father, who it is said entered the two mens cabin on the fatal evening and threw a lump of ice at the two stokers to wake them up.

As the ship sank, one of the three were able to find either a lifejacket or a lifeboat but when William eventually found just the one lifejacket, he gave it to his son-in-law Walter. They both entered the water five minutes before the ship finally disappeared, finding the collapsible lifeboat B upturned in the water they clung hold.

Only Walter in his lifejacket was finally picked up alive, the body of William Mintram was never found. 
ContributorsCreated : 2012-09-15 11:42:04 / From original database

Last Updated :

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Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  3 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
16713 MINTRAM, Charles Thomas1893ENG, HAM, Southampton Mar 1903 : Canada CAN Barnardos  
16718 MINTRAM, George1898ENG,     May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
16717 MINTRAM, William1889ENG,     Jul 1905 : Southwark CAN Barnardos