Background - Part 1. Violet

While the intent here is to focus on technical material (most reader will no doubt recall the human side of the Titanic tragedy through exposure to books, movies, television and so forth so no attempt will be made to even summarize the extensive human story), some note will be made on the human side viz. a viz. Violet Jessop who many may not have been aware of as I was.  I wish not to take away from John Maxtone-Graham’s book so I will only briefly summarize what I feel are the most pertinent aspects of Violet’s remarkable life.  Ms. Jessop is as close as we will get to a hero/heroine character in this blog and she is, at least, our star witness.

[As an aside; John Maxtone-Graham left this veil of tears in 2016 at age 85.  I want to think he perhaps can now continue his dialog with Violet.]

Violet was born in Australia to Irish immigrants who were seeking a better life by raising sheep.  Much of her childhood was fighting various diseases which left her with diminished lung capacity; a fact which makes her underwater survival in the Britannic disaster even more remarkable.  Being eldest, and despite her ill health at times she found herself in charge of the numerous brood her petite and frail mother was unable to cope with.  Her father’s death (perhaps premature from an operation gone awry) forced a return to London England and close relatives.  The financial situation became precarious so to support the family, mother took a job as an ocean going stewardess while the surviving children were placed in a Catholic orphanage/school except for Violet and her very young child sister who eventually (after much begging of Mother) found refuge together in a convent/boarding school.

It seems that the happiest period of Violet’s life was that spent at the convent.  Here I would like to quote John’s appraisal of her life as brought forth in the Memoir—[in the convent] “Violet patently cherished a taste of the normal adolescence of which she had, for too long, been so deprived”.   Her memoir leads one to believe Violet was a bright student who was inherently attracted to education both in Argentina and England.  But parenting responsibilities ingrained in early youth overwhelmed her and she reluctantly gave up her studies for an “examination” which she felt would “open many doors” and instead took up where her ailing Mother had left off—she became an ocean going stewardess (her mother had been forced to quit her job for health reasons and supporting Mother financially became urgent).  Here I quote Violet:”I must confess that in closing my books for good, something completely went out of my life, leaving an ache behind.”  She was twenty one.

Violet did quite well at her chosen career despite the fact she disliked almost every aspect and made no secret of it.  For the first two years she worked for the Royal Mail ship line and did so well she was able to land a position with prestigious White Star despite her youth.  Within one year she was promoted to the ultimate of ships—the luxurious Olympic.  Again in one year she made a number of voyages as stewardess on the Olympic—for those of you who have a superstitious mindset the number of voyages was thirteen—and then she was transferred to the even more luxurious Titanic!

[I am indebted to John for including in his book Appendix I which lists Violet’s voyages aboard various vessels which he distilled from each of her voyages “Certificate of Discharge”]

Titanic was not the first maritime incident Violet was to be a witness of.  She was stewardessing on the Olympic when it collided with the much smaller English warship (cruiser) Hawk.  Details of the collision later.  Violet does not mention this incident in her memoir nor that regarding the near collision between the American liner New York and the Titanic on the latter’s maiden voyage out of the Southampton channel.  There can be little doubt that Violet knew of these incidents, the first cost her more than two month's pay, and their omission from her memoir is a bit mysterious; but then they were insignificant when compared to the more traumatic Audacious sinking which will be mentioned in a bit.

Yes, Violet was well thought of by White Star management so much so that she was a stewardess for those sensitive well-to-do folks in First Class.  Following her short lived duties on Titanic, Violet “steamed” on several different ships one of which was again the Olympic.  She was reluctant to do so and I quote: “I knew that if I meant to continue my sea life, I would have to return at once.  Otherwise I would lose my nerve, for I had no love for it.  But I needed the work.”  One voyage was as a stewardess on P&O’s Malwa while the Olympic was in dry-dock for ‘Titanic mandated’ upgrades.  This voyage she had arranged purposely to visit with her true love, Ned and his family.  Naively hoping the visit would culminate in a formalization of their romance; the result was tragic instead.  Violet was almost twenty six.

During World War I, Olympic was laid up because of the slump in sea traffic and Violet took up nursing as a “junior nurse” on shore.  Just prior to this, on her fourteenth voyage on the Olympic following the Titanic sinking, Violet witnessed the sinking of the brand new British battleship HMS Audacious which had struck a German mine.  [Audacious sank in October of 1914 but this record is not found in John’s listing which suggests the record was a victim of war time secrecy concerning the sinking.]  The losses of life of those aboard the Audacious were few if any thanks to lifeboats from the Olympic [more on this Audacious sinking later].  It is problematic whether or not this witness factored into Violets decision to become a “V.A.D.”; she does not say.  According to her Nieces who John interviewed, Violet was a natural born nurse; however she went back to better pay and more adventure at sea.  But before that, after a little more than a year in training as a Volunteer Aid Detachment or V.A.D., and after first sailing to New York so as to recuperate from an infection related to nursing a patient (She had been also advised to recuperate from physical exhaustion and I suspect she found caring for military wounded more traumatic than the screams from those dying from hypothermia).  The return to England found Violet aboard the ill-fated last voyage of the sister ship to the Titanic—the Britannic!  Again we shall deal with the Britannic sinking in detail latter.

Injured in this sinking, Violet was “repatriated” (later awarded medals), and took a job in a bank for a number of war years.  At wars end she again joined White Star for five years on the Olympic and Majestic whereupon she was laid off during the depression.  Next, at age 34 and at last, she encountered her best sea life doing world cruises, first with the Red Star line on the Belgenland, in many ways her favorite ship, and then other ships for a total of thirteen years.  During World War II she again was ashore for almost ten years doing clerical work.  At age 61 she went back to sea for a two year stint and then gave up sea life entirely until her death in 1971 at age 84. 

It is interesting to note that in her memoir she never mentions her many voyages aboard the Majestic; thirty eight in total according to John’s record keeping.  This is second only to the Olympic where she had at least sixty two voyages.  Besides those already mentioned, Violet sailed on seven other vessels and made no comment about them either, with the exception of the Titanic where she and other stewardesses personally expressed  appreciation to the designer, Thomas Andrews, for upgrading their living quarters from that on the Olympic.  In her memoir she lashes out at both passengers and crew.  John notes that Belgenland was Violet’s favorite ship because of the crew.  




It is interesting to note that in her memoir she never mentions her many voyages aboard the Majestic; 38 according to John’s record keeping.  This is second only to the Olympic where she had 62+.  Besides those already mentioned, Violet sailed on seven other vessels and made no comment about them either, with the exception of the Titanic where she and other stewardesses personally expressed  appreciation to the designer, Thomas Andrews, for upgrading their living quarters from that on the Olympic.  In her memoir she lashes out at both passengers and crew.  John notes that Belgenland was Violet’s favorite ship because of the crew.