Frank Raymond Pendlebury was born May 23, 1914, in Buxton Derby, England, the son of Frank and Edith M. (Thomson) Pendlebury. His siblings were sisters Lilian Mary and Christina, and an adopted brother- John Goodwin.
Raymond first went to sea at the age of 17. In the late 1930's, at the age of 23, Raymond was traveling as an assistant steward on the ship Lochkatrine, between Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle,Washington. In 1944 he made a couple of voyages on the Pasteur, likely when it was being used to transport American and Canadian troops between Europe and North America.
Beginning in 1946, through 1955, Raymond worked as a steward or waiter on three of the most iconic transatlantic ocean liners ever built- the RMS Queen Elizabeth, the RMS Queen Mary, and the RMS Caronia. In an age when crossing the Atlantic between New York City and Southampton, England was counted in weeks, not hours, Raymond made dozens of voyages as an employee of the Cunard White Star Line.
Frank Raymond Pendlebury died December 6, 1989, and was buried on Hart Island, just off the coast of New York City, the final destination of so many of his journeys.
Sources: U.S. Social Security Death Index; British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920; U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007; Washington, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1961; New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957.
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