Eva Hart
Encyclopedia
Eva Miriam Hart MBE (31 January, 1905 - 14 February, 1996) was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912.
, Essex
, England
to Benjamin Hart and Esther Bloomfield. In early 1912, Benjamin decided to take his family and emigrate to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he planned to open a tobacco store.
With such fear, Esther slept only during the day and stayed awake in her cabin at night fully dressed.
Eva was sleeping when the Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 pm on April 14. Eva's father rushed into her cabin to alert Eva and her mother, and after wrapping Eva in a blanket, he carried her to the boat's deck. He placed his wife and daughter in Lifeboat No. 14 and told Eva to 'hold Mummy's hand and be a good girl.' It was the last thing her father ever said to her, and the last time she ever saw him.
Eva and her mother were picked up by the rescue ship RMS Carpathia
and arrived in New York, New York
on April 18. Eva's father perished and his body, if recovered, was never identified.
Soon after arriving in New York
, Eva and her mother returned to England
and her mother remarried. Eva was plagued with nightmares and upon the death of her mother when Eva was 23, Eva confronted her fears head on by returning to the sea and locking herself in a cabin for four straight days until the nightmares went away.
"We went on the day on the boat train. I was 7, I had never seen a ship before. It looked very big. Everybody was very excited, we went down to the cabin and that's when my mother said to my father that she had made up her mind quite firmly that she would not go to bed in that ship, she would sit up at night. She decided that she wouldn't go to bed at night, and she didn't!"
"I saw that ship sink," she said in a 1993 interview. "I never closed my eyes. I didn't sleep at all. I saw it, I heard it, and nobody could possibly forget it."
"I can remember the colors, the sounds, everything," she said. "The worst thing I can remember are the screams."
"It seemed as if once everybody had gone, drowned, finished, the whole world was standing still. There was nothing, just this deathly, terrible silence in the dark night with the stars overhead."
"The band played one version of Nearer My God to Thee of which there are three and the one they played was the one that was played in church."
"I never closed my eyes at all - I saw that ship sink. And I saw that ship break in half."
, a Conservative Party
organizer, and also served as a magistrate in England.
She commonly criticised the White Star Line
for failing to provide enough lifeboats for all aboard Titanic. "If a ship is torpedoed, that's war," she once said. "If it strikes a rock in a storm, that's nature. But just to die because there weren't enough lifeboats, that's ridiculous."
When salvaging efforts began in 1987, Eva was quick to note that the Titanic is a gravesite and should be treated as such. She often decried the "insensitivity and greed" and labelled the salvors "fortune hunters, vultures, pirates, and grave robbers."
and joined several other survivors at a Titanic Historical Society
convention commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Titanic sinking. She participated in three more conventions in 1987, 1988, and in 1992. In 1994, Eva wrote an autobiography, 'Shadow of the Titanic - A Survivor's Story', in which she described her experiences aboard the ship and the lasting implications of its sinking. On April 15, 1995, the 83rd anniversary of the disaster, Eva and fellow second-class Titanic survivor Edith Brown
, dedicated a memorial garden plaque on the grounds of the National Maritime Museum
in London
.
at the age of 91. Her death left eight remaining survivors. In her memory, a Wetherspoon's
Pub
in Chadwell Heath
is named 'The Eva Hart'.
Early life
Eva Miriam Hart was born on 31 January , 1905 in IlfordIlford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Benjamin Hart and Esther Bloomfield. In early 1912, Benjamin decided to take his family and emigrate to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he planned to open a tobacco store.
Aboard Titanic
Eva was seven years old when she and her parents, Benjamin and Esther, boarded the Titanic as second-class passengers on April 10, 1912 at Southampton, England. Almost instantly, Eva's mother felt uneasy about the ship and feared that some catastrophe would happen. To call a ship unsinkable was, in her mother's mind, flying in the face of God.With such fear, Esther slept only during the day and stayed awake in her cabin at night fully dressed.
Eva was sleeping when the Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 pm on April 14. Eva's father rushed into her cabin to alert Eva and her mother, and after wrapping Eva in a blanket, he carried her to the boat's deck. He placed his wife and daughter in Lifeboat No. 14 and told Eva to 'hold Mummy's hand and be a good girl.' It was the last thing her father ever said to her, and the last time she ever saw him.
Eva and her mother were picked up by the rescue ship RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia was a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger steamship built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson. Carpathia made her maiden voyage in 1903 and became famous for rescuing the survivors of after the latter ship hit an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912...
and arrived in New York, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on April 18. Eva's father perished and his body, if recovered, was never identified.
Soon after arriving in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Eva and her mother returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and her mother remarried. Eva was plagued with nightmares and upon the death of her mother when Eva was 23, Eva confronted her fears head on by returning to the sea and locking herself in a cabin for four straight days until the nightmares went away.
Memories of Titanic
Being seven years old at the time of the Titanic, Eva maintained several vivid memories."We went on the day on the boat train. I was 7, I had never seen a ship before. It looked very big. Everybody was very excited, we went down to the cabin and that's when my mother said to my father that she had made up her mind quite firmly that she would not go to bed in that ship, she would sit up at night. She decided that she wouldn't go to bed at night, and she didn't!"
"I saw that ship sink," she said in a 1993 interview. "I never closed my eyes. I didn't sleep at all. I saw it, I heard it, and nobody could possibly forget it."
"I can remember the colors, the sounds, everything," she said. "The worst thing I can remember are the screams."
"It seemed as if once everybody had gone, drowned, finished, the whole world was standing still. There was nothing, just this deathly, terrible silence in the dark night with the stars overhead."
"The band played one version of Nearer My God to Thee of which there are three and the one they played was the one that was played in church."
"I never closed my eyes at all - I saw that ship sink. And I saw that ship break in half."
Career
Throughout Eva's life, she worked at several jobs. She was a professional singer in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
organizer, and also served as a magistrate in England.
Outspoken criticism
Eva was one of the most outspoken survivors concerning the Titanics lack of sufficient lifeboats and of any salvage attempts of the Titanic after its discovery in 1985.She commonly criticised the White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
for failing to provide enough lifeboats for all aboard Titanic. "If a ship is torpedoed, that's war," she once said. "If it strikes a rock in a storm, that's nature. But just to die because there weren't enough lifeboats, that's ridiculous."
When salvaging efforts began in 1987, Eva was quick to note that the Titanic is a gravesite and should be treated as such. She often decried the "insensitivity and greed" and labelled the salvors "fortune hunters, vultures, pirates, and grave robbers."
Later life
Eva maintained active in Titanic-related activities well into her 80s. In 1982, Eva returned to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and joined several other survivors at a Titanic Historical Society
Titanic Historical Society
The Titanic Historical Society, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1963, whose purpose is the preservation of the history of the famous ocean liner RMS Titanic, which sank on April 15, 1912, in one of the greatest maritime disasters in history.Headquartered in Indian Orchard,...
convention commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Titanic sinking. She participated in three more conventions in 1987, 1988, and in 1992. In 1994, Eva wrote an autobiography, 'Shadow of the Titanic - A Survivor's Story', in which she described her experiences aboard the ship and the lasting implications of its sinking. On April 15, 1995, the 83rd anniversary of the disaster, Eva and fellow second-class Titanic survivor Edith Brown
Edith Brown
Edith Eileen Haisman was one of the last remaining and oldest survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912...
, dedicated a memorial garden plaque on the grounds of the National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Death
Eva died on February 14, 1996 at her home in Chadwell HeathChadwell Heath
Chadwell Heath is a place in the London Borough of Redbridge and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, both in Greater London. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
at the age of 91. Her death left eight remaining survivors. In her memory, a Wetherspoon's
Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...
Pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Chadwell Heath
Chadwell Heath
Chadwell Heath is a place in the London Borough of Redbridge and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, both in Greater London. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
is named 'The Eva Hart'.
External links
- Eva Hart at Encyclopedia TitanicaEncyclopedia TitanicaEncyclopedia Titanica is an online reference work containing extensive and constantly-updated information on the . The website, a nonprofit endeavor, is a database of passenger and crew biographies, deck plans, and articles submitted by historians or Titanic enthusiasts...
- Eva Hart at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...