Frank John William Goldsmith

Frank John William Goldsmith (19 December 1902 – 27 January 1982), was a young third-class passenger of the and a survivor of the sinking in 1912. He later wrote a book about his experiences on the ship, published posthumously as Echoes in the Night: Memories of a Titanic Survivor, which featured in the documentary, Titanic: The Complete Story (1994).

Early life

Frank John Goldsmith was born in Strood, Kent, England, the elder child of Frank and Emily (née Brown) Goldsmith. His father was originally from Tonbridge. His parents married sometime between October and December 1901, and Frank was born the following December. In early 1905, brother Albert John "Bertie" Goldsmith was born. Bertie died in late 1911 of diphtheria.

RMS Titanic Between 1908 and 1911, both of Emily's parents and six of her twelve brothers and sisters had immigrated to the United States, settling in Detroit, Michigan. In the wake of their youngest son's death, Frank's parents decided to immigrate and join Emily's relations in Detroit.

Goldsmith and his parents boarded the RMS Titanic in Southampton as third-class passengers, en route to New York City. His father, a tool maker, was bringing his bag of tools with him; these were stored in the ship's hold. Accompanying them were Thomas Theobald, Frank Sr.'s friend, and Alfred Rush, the son of a family friend. Rush commemorated his 17th birthday on 14 April on board the ship, celebrating his transformation from a boy to a man as he no longer had to wear short pants, and was now allowed to wear long trousers.

The nine year old Goldsmith spent his time on board the ship playing with a group of English speaking third-class boys who were about his age: Willie Coutts, Harold Goodwin, William Johnston, Albert and George Rice, and James and Walter van Billiard. They climbed the baggage cranes and wandered down to the boiler rooms to watch the stokers and firemen at work. Goldsmith later recalled: "My dad reached down and patted me on the shoulder and said, 'So long, Frankie, I'll see you later.' He didn't and he may have known he wouldn't." Goldsmith Sr., Theobald, and Rush all died in the sinking; of the three, only Theobald's body was recovered.

The young Goldsmith and his mother were rescued by the in Collapsible C. As the Carpathia headed to New York City, in order to get Frank's mind off the sinking, Mrs. Goldsmith entrusted him into the care of a surviving Titanic fireman, Samuel Collins. While Mrs. Goldsmith was busy sewing clothes from blankets for women and children who had left the ship in only nightclothes, Frank accompanied Collins down to visit Carpathias stokers. They offered to make him an honorary seaman by having him drink a mixture of water, vinegar, and a whole raw egg. He proudly swallowed it in one go, and from then on, considered himself as a member of the ship's crew. Goldsmith remembered fireman Collins telling him, "Don't cry, Frankie, your dad will probably be in New York before you are."

Growing up, Goldsmith still held on to the hope of his father's survival. It took him months to understand that his father was really dead, and for years afterward, he used to tell himself, "I think another ship must have picked him up and one day he will come walking right through that door and say, 'Hello, Frankie.'"

Goldsmith married Victoria Agnes (née Lawrence) in 1926, and they had three sons: James, Charles, and Frank II.

During World War II, Goldsmith served as a civilian photographer for the U.S. Army Air Corps. After the war, he brought his family to Ashland, Ohio and later opened a photography supply store in nearby Mansfield.

Goldsmith's autobiography is entitled Echoes in the Night: Memories of a Titanic Survivor, and was published in 1981 by the Titanic Historical Society. Walter Lord wrote the foreword. Goldsmith's is the only book about the sinking written by a third-class passenger.

In media Goldsmith wrote a book about his experiences on the ship, titled Echoes in the Night: Memories of a Titanic Survivor (1991) Goldsmith's memoir featured in the documentary, Titanic: The Complete Story (1994). A 1977 clip of Goldsmith describing his Titanic experience can be seen in the IMAX film Titanica (1995).