Surviving on the Lusitania

 

In 1915, the Lusitania was the largest and fastest passenger in the world. It belonged to the Cunard Steamship Company and regularly sailed between Liverpool and New York, taking about a week each way.  

Edward (known as Teddy) Bond, then aged 40, was a cabin steward on the Lusitania, having worked on Cunard ships since he was a boy, and by then, he had worked his way up (via being a waiter) to the 1^st class cabin section, as had his father (also Edward) before him. Teddy had married his wife Mary in 1909, and the Bonds had, a few years before 1915, moved with their family into 29 Donaldson Street, a nice street with a Welsh chapel (now Crete Gospel Hall) at one end.

The story of the Faithful Hound

Today, I’d like to make all dog lovers happy by sharing the story of Gelert the Dog with you. It’s a classic Welsh tale of one man and his dog but the man involved is Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd, no less.

So, Gelert is a legendary dog closely associated with the village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. Beddgelert literally translates as Gelert’s Grave and Gelert’s story is a variation on the “Faithful Hound” folk-tale motif. If you like, Gelert is Wales’ answer to Lassie.