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Edward Pennington Calderhead - Titanic First Class Passenger

Mr Edward Pennington Calderhead was a 42 year old first class passenger travelling home to New York City aboard the maiden voyage of RMS Titanic. He was returning home from a business trip to Europe as part of his employment as a buyer for Gimbels department store. He boarded Titanic in Southampton on 10th April 1912, accompanied by John Flynn, James McGough, both also buyers for Gimbels, and Spencer Silverthorne, a buyer for another store. He shared cabin E24 with Spencer Silverthorne.

Edward Calderhead, the son of Edward and Josephine Calderhead, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on 4th June 1869. In 1897 he married Margaret Pabst, and they soon had a daughter, born on 22nd June 1898, named Margaret, the same name as her mother.

By the time he made the trip to Europe in 1912, of which he would start the journey home aboard Titanic, they were living in New York City and he worked as a buyer for Gimbels department store, said to have been for the toys department.

After Titanic struck the iceberg, he was on the starboard side boat deck, and at around 12.45am was lowered away from Titanic in Lifeboat 5, the second lifeboat to be lowered, along with his travelling companions John Flynn and Spencer Silverthorne. Their other travelling companion, James McGough, had been ordered into Lifeboat 7, the first to leave the ship. Edward Calderhead and his travelling companions were rescued in the morning by RMS Carpathia.

During the First World War, around exactly 3 years after his buying trip to Europe concluding with the Titanic disaster, Edward Calderhead, still working as a buyer for Gimbels, sailed to Europe on a buying and investigating trip, for that purpose, visiting Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Upon his return he gave a talk concerning his findings to the buyers and executive staff of Gimbels. His findings were reported in the New York Times newspaper on 23rd April 1915.

Edward Calderhead died aged 90, on 5th April 1961. His wife had died on 14th August 1948. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California. His memorial describes him as being a “beloved father”.

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