Pax transferred from the Oceanic to Titanic?

[HelenaWojtczak]

Hi


Is there a list of passengers booked on the Oceanic who were transferred to the Titanic?

I've been working on a biography of survivors Elsie and Edith Bowerman for many years now, because of their connection to the suffrage movement. I'm now preparing to publish a book in which they will be included.

Amongst my notes made 10 years ago I have the entry that they were booked on the Oceanic, which Mrs Pankhurst, their great heroine, had sailed on earlier in the year, but when it was cancelled the White Star Line offered them instead a place on the Titanic. I'm really cross with myself now for not noting down exactly where this info came from.

It all fits in perfectly with their suffrage activities because the Second Reading of the Conciliation Bill (i.e. to give votes to women) was due on 22nd March and the idea was, if it passed they would take a trip in celebration and if it didn't they would take the trip as commiseration. The Oceanic was due to sail on 27th. Because of the miner's strike the Second Reading was moved to 28th March and because of the coal shortage the Oceanic was cancelled.

Is there a list of passengers booked on the Oceanic who were transferred to the Titanic?

Helena Wojtczak

PS this question has been asked before but the thread was derailed into a discussion about Eva Hart and never got back on track.

 

[Mark Chirnside]

Is there a list of passengers booked on the Oceanic who were transferred to the Titanic?

I'm unaware.

When the Liverpool Daily Post reported further cancellations of White Star’s Liverpool sailings, including Majestic’s 10 April 1912 departure for Boston, it advised Oceanic passengers could travel instead via ‘Baltic, leaving Liverpool on the 28th…or the Olympic, from Southampton, on the 3rd April’. I would assume the majority of Oceanic passengers would have wanted to sail on either of those ships, rather than wait until Titanic's sailing on 10 April 1912. Olympic certainly had a big passenger list when she sailed on 3 April 1912 - the highest westbound since she had entered service and, I think, possibly the highest in the pre-war period (I'd need to check).

 

[HelenaWojtczak]

Thank you for replying.

If I were in their place, and W.S.L. offered me either a place on the Olympic or the Titanic, a brand new ship on its maiden voyage, the biggest ship in the world, if I could wait another week, I would take the Titanic.

Which leads me to the question - would the W.S.L. have offered them the Titanic, or would they offer only the Olympic or a refund?

 

[Sam Brannigan]

Thank you for replying.

If I were in their place, and W.S.L. offered me either a place on the Olympic or the Titanic, a brand new ship on its maiden voyage, the biggest ship in the world, if I could wait another week, I would take the Titanic.

Which leads me to the question - would the W.S.L. have offered them the Titanic, or would they offer only the Olympic or a refund?

Interesting!

I would have taken the Olympic - I would always choose tried and tested over the new.

 

[HelenaWojtczak]

These particular ladies were forward-thinking, adventurous suffragettes who enjoyed excitement. I rest my case.