Albert Bestic, RS2 No 32709, from DublinRMS Lusitania. 7 May 1915According to his CR10 card, Albert Arthur Bestic was born on 26 August 1890 in Dublin. He held an ordinary master’s ticket and had served as a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve during the war. He was ranked as a mate and appeared to be working in the home trade as there are no voyages shown on his card. He began his sea career as an apprentice with Richard Thomas of Liverpool on the sailing vessel Denbigh Castle in 1908. She sailed from Cardiff in October and arrived in Fremantle, West Australia in June 1909. She then sailed for Peru and returned to England around Cape Horn. He was serving on the Lusitania as Junior third officer when she was torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 1200 lives on 7 May 1915. Most of his later career was spent with Irish Lights. He wrote an autobiography ‘Kicking Canvas’ in 1955, and died in Bray, Co Wicklow, in 1962. view his record on the database |