Heroism from Women in Lifeboats

[Aaron_2016]

Over the years the heroic efforts from ladies such as Margaret Brown have been published in the American press many times over the years, but were they true? Here is an article that may shed light on the matter from a British perspective.

Is it possible that some ladies thought they were helping when they were in reality doing very little, but they exaggerated their efforts to elevate their social status? I recall one lady who thought she was helping Lightoller when she waved her walking stick which had an electric light fitted to it in her attempt to help Lightoller see what he was doing. He said it almost blinded him and when they were on the Carpathia - "She tried to make out that someone had stolen her wretched stick, whereas it had been merely taken from her, in response to my request that someone would throw the damn thing overboard."


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[Harland Duzen]

I recall one lady who thought she was helping Lightoller when she waved her walking stick which had an electric light fitted to it in her attempt to help Lightoller see what he was doing. He said it almost blinded him and when they were on the Carpathia - "She tried to make out that someone had stolen her wretched stick, whereas it had been merely taken from her, in response to my request that someone would throw the damn thing overboard."

I think it was Ella White who apparently wasn't to impressed by the crew either...

"Ella White : Titanic Survivor"

As for the topic, there certainly are a few stories or selfishness among some survivors of female passengers. One I can recall (possibly from the book,"Titanic Voices: Memories From The Fateful Voyage") was a female passenger in a lifeboat who kept complaining about the loss of a 4-post bed in the Cargo Hold but didn't seem too bothered about her husband who I think was lost.