Millvina Dean was born on February 2, 1912. When she was 10 weeks old, she survived the sinking of the Titanic. Her life raft was rescued by the ship Carpathia, coincidentally the same ship upon which Frank Buckles, yesterday's birthday honoree, sailed to Europe to fight in WWI.She lived the rest of her life in England where she spent many years as a British civil servant and avoiding her odd form of celebrity. She finally embraced her role in history around the time the movie Titanic was released. She died in 2009.
Happy Birthday, Miss Dean!
Her mother cannot have been over burdened with imagination if within two weeks of having a ship sink under her she was crossing the Atlantic back to England with two small kids. Two years I could understand, but two weeks !.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd though, but the Lusitania had much more resonence at the time and until the mid-thirties when there was a number of films about the sinking, Cavalcade [best pic1933], being the best of them.
Not overburdened with imagination indeed, but as it was the only way to travel and New York may have repelled Miss Dean's mother, there was no choice. I am speculating, of course.
ReplyDeleteThe Titanic story has always bothered me because of all those lower class people left to drown. I suppose Miss Dean was not one of them. I still wish her a H.B. though!
Amazing story.
ReplyDeleteHey, your birthday month header is fabulous!! I think you should keep it year round!
Willow, this was my original blog header, but I began to eat too much cake. And, I was just reminded that when my three year old sees it, he too wants cake and won't stop about it.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, actually Miss Dean's family was in third class, and her's was the first life boat of steerage passengers, but you're point is a valid one. She and her mother probably got a boat because she was so young, and apparently she was quite the darling above decks during the journey.
Vince, I think the plan had been for the family to emigrate to Kansas where they had, but Mr. Dean died on the ship. With two small children and no husband I think the trip to Kansas and the life it offered was probably scarier than another ship.
ReplyDeleteIt's my own fault for not thinking and reading the story at face value. There is always the very real chance she and her kids were Told to go by the good ol'USofA. With two kids and without a husband, the State would have seen them as a cost. She did not land with all her bags.
ReplyDeleteA little touch of Dahl, eh.
Then I like her story even more. BTW I like the new colour of your blog, are you going to keep it?
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