R. Norris Williams survived over six hours knee-deep in freezing water when the Titanic sank. Rescue doctors wanted to amputate his legs. But he refused. He went on to win the Wimbledon Men's Doubles in 1920.
Williams gained fame as a survivor of the RMS Titanic disaster in April 1912. He and his father, Charles Duane Williams, were traveling first class on the liner when it struck an iceberg and sank. Shortly after the collision, Williams freed a trapped passenger from a cabin by breaking down a door. He was reprimanded by a steward, who threatened to fine him for damaging White Star Line property, an event that inspired a scene in James Cameron's film Titanic (1997). Williams remained on the doomed liner almost until the very end. At one point Williams' father tried to get a steward to fill his flask. The flask was given to Williams and remains in the Williams family.
As Titanic began her final plunge, father and son jumped into the water. While Dick was able to save himself, his father was killed by the first funnel falling from the ship. The 21-year-old Williams recalled, "I saw one of the four great funnels come crashing down on top of him. Just for one instant, I stood there transfixed - not because it had only missed me by a few feet, curiously enough not because it had killed my father for whom I had a far more than normal feeling of love and attachment; but there I was transfixed wondering at the enormous size of this funnel, still belching smoke. It seemed to me that two cars could have been driven through it side by side." He made his way to the partially submerged Collapsible A.
After entering the lifeboat, he spent several hours knee-deep in the freezing water. Carpathia arrived on the scene to rescue survivors. The ordeal left his legs so severely frostbitten that the Carpathia's doctor wanted to amputate them. Williams, who did not want his tennis career to be cut short, opted instead to work through the injury by simply getting up and walking around every two hours, around the clock.
With luck, good health, and determination, Richard saved his life, legs, and tennis career. He went on to win an Olympic Gold Medal and multiple Grand Slam titles.
Richard "Dick" Norris Williams II (January 29, 1891 – June 2, 1968), generally known as R. Norris Williams, was an American tennis player and RMS Titanic survivor. Williams won the U.S. National Tennis Championships in men's singles in 1914 and 1916.
He was ranked the U.S. No. 1 player for 1916 by the USLTA, and world No. 2 for 1914. Williams was also a noted doubles player, winning the U.S. National Championships in men's doubles in 1920, 1925, and 1926. He won a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 1924 Olympic Games. In addition to his tennis career, Williams served in the United States Army during World War I and was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. After the war, he became a successful investment banker in Philadelphia.
Sadly, whenever he came across a picture of the Titanic, he saw the giant funnel that killed his dad.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0