Mr Thomson Beattie

Who was Thomson Beattie?

Thomson Beattie was a 36 (thirty-six) year-old Canadian landowner who tragically lost his life in the Titanic disaster. Born on November 25, 1875, in Fergus, Ontario, Beattie was a first-class passenger aboard the ill-fated ship, embarking on what would be his final journey.

Early Life and Background

A Child of Fergus, Ontario

Thomson Beattie was born into a large, conservative Presbyterian family in Fergus, Ontario, a small but thriving rural community located 100 km west of Toronto. He was the youngest of eleven children, arriving late in his mother’s life. His father worked as a private banker and later served as the Clerk of Wellington County until his death in 1897.

From Banking to Land Development

After his father’s passing, Thomson and his brother Charles made a significant life change:

• They took their share of the family estate
• Moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Thomson partnered with Richard Waugh to establish the Haslam Land Co.

Within just five years, their enterprise flourished, allowing Beattie to purchase a substantial house in an upscale neighborhood at 560 River Ave, which he shared with a medical doctor.

Titanic Journey: A Fateful Decision

Why did Thomson Beattie board the Titanic?

In January 1912, Beattie embarked on a winter vacation with his friends Thomas McCaffry and John Hugo Ross. They sailed from New York to Trieste aboard the Franconia. However, by March, the trip had taken its toll:

• Ross had fallen ill
• Beattie and McCaffry were exhausted from their travels

Seeking a swift return home, they made the fateful decision to book passage on the Titanic. In a poignant letter to his mother just three days before sailing, Beattie wrote:

“We are changing ships and coming home in a new, unsinkable boat.”

Titanic Ticket Details

Beattie shared his first-class cabin, C-6, with his friend Thomas Francis McCaffry.

The Disaster and Beattie’s Fate

As the Titanic struck the iceberg and began to sink, Beattie found himself near the officer’s quarters, close to the last available life raft, Collapsible A. He managed to scramble aboard, but tragically, this would not be enough to save his life.

A Grim Discovery at Sea

A month after the disaster, the Oceanic made a chilling discovery:

• Location: 47° 10’ N, 30° 56’ W (about 300 km southeast of the Titanic’s sinking site)
• Sighting: A lifeboat bobbing in the open sea
• Contents: Three bodies, including Beattie’s, still in evening dress

Sir Shane Leslie, aboard the Oceanic, recounted the grim scene:

“The sea was calm at noon when the watch called out that something could be seen floating ahead. The ship slowed down and it was apparent that the object was an open ship’s lifeboat floating in mid Atlantic. What was horrifying is that it contained three prostrate figures.”

The Final Journey

The bodies, including Beattie’s, were given a solemn burial at sea:

1. Sewn into canvas bags with a steel bar at the end
2. Draped in the Union Jack
3. Given a burial service
4. Committed to the sea

Legacy and Remembrance

A Cosmic Coincidence

In a remarkable twist of fate, Beattie’s burial at sea occurred on his mother’s birthday, almost at the exact spot in the Atlantic where she had been born 82 years earlier on a ship bound for Canada.

Memorial in Fergus, Ontario

Today, Thomson Beattie is remembered on a stone in the family plot in Fergus, Ontario, a lasting tribute to a life cut short by one of history’s most infamous maritime disasters.

Thomson Beattie’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the many lives impacted by the Titanic tragedy, each with their own unique tale of hope, adventure, and ultimately, loss.