Titanic survivor biography

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She remained active in social causes until her death in 1932.

J. She later described the chaotic scene on the lifeboat, shortly before they were rescued by Carpathia: "Our men knew nothing about the position of the stars, hardly how to pull together. Many never spoke of the sinking again. They arrived safely in New York City on April 18.

Later it would be discovered that 705 people survived the disaster.

Though he broke no rules, the public branded him a coward. He was not there."

Lawrence Beesley

Lawrence Beesley, a young widower and science professor in London, left his young son at home to board Titanic, hoping to visit his brother in Toronto. She spent years speaking about her experience and appeared in early Titanic documentaries.

Eva Hart – A Child Who Never Forgot

Eva was 7 years old when she lost her father in the sinking.

A letter from his wife, Florence, reveals the relief she felt upon realizing he had made it through the disaster alive: "...Only a week ago today...I watched that magnificent vessel sail away so proudly. When the ship hit an iceberg and sank, she became its youngest survivor. Others were hounded by the media. His reputation was destroyed. "The Titanic was a tragedy which tore so many families apart," she said from her nursing home.

I think it is disrespectful to make entertainment of such a tragedy."

Millvina became the last living survivor on October 16, 2007, when Barbara West Dainton of Truro, England, died at age 96. Out of over 2,200 people on board, approximately 700 lived to tell about it. Later Dean worked in the purchasing department of a Southampton engineering firm until she retired in 1972.

Dean has achieved a level of fame from her association with the storied shipwreck.

But they carried its memory with them—quietly or publicly—until the end.

Their stories remind us that surviving a disaster doesn’t mean leaving it behind. Millvina's father, however, the 25-year-old Bertram Frank Dean, was one of the 1,500 who perished. Can you imagine, swinging in the air over the sea, I just shut my eyes & clung tight saying ‘Am I safe,?’ at last I felt a strong arm pulling me onto the boat...."

Charlotte Collyer

Passengers lucky enough to have been picked up by Carpathia arrived in New York City days later and started a frantic search for their loved ones, desperately hoping they too had been saved.

He lived out his life in near seclusion, avoiding publicity until his death in 1937.

Charles Lightoller – The Hero Officer

Second Officer Lightoller was the highest-ranking crew member to survive. They boarded as third-class passengers at Southampton and set sail on April 10, 1912.

On the night of April 14, while sailing south of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Millvina's mother and father felt the ship's collision with an iceberg.

He helped load lifeboats, saved lives, and even clung to an overturned lifeboat himself. She died at 97, also becoming the last survivor of the sinking.

Early Life

Elizabeth Gladys Dean was born February 2, 1912, in London.