Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Dead Page: Last Titanic Survivor Dies-- Part 2

Continued from June 5th. From the Chicago Tribune.

On the fourth night aboard the Titanic, they felt a jolt, and her father went out to investigate. When he returned, he told his wife to dress the children warmly and take them to the lifeboats. She credits that as having saved their lives, as many others thought the ship couldn't sink. He reassured his family, "I'll be along." But that was the last they ever say of him.

In the confusion of boarding the life boats, her brother was separated from them and not reunited until aboard the Carpathia and they sailed to New York City. Millvina being the youngest survivor, all the others wanted to hold her. The crowd got so big that an officer put a ten minute limit to hold her.

Asked how the sinking changed her life, she said that she was English instead of American. Her mother took the children back to live with her parents near Southampton. Their education was paid for by the Titanic Relief Fund set up to help the survivors.

People didn't know she was a survivor until 1987 when she attended a Titanic memorial service in Southampton on the 75th anniversary. After that, she was in demand to appear and speak at Titanic events. She gave many interviews as well.

In 1998, she finally made the whole trip aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, compliments of Michael Rudd.

In 2008, she had to have an auction of her Titanic mementos to help pay for her nursing home fees and raised $58,906. I had heard that Titanic stars Kate Winslett and Leonardo DiCaprio had begun paying her expenses since then.

Her mother died at age 95 in 1975. Her brother died at age 81 in 1992, on the 80th anniversary of the sinking.

Another Era Ends.

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