The last Survivor of the sinking of the Titanic has died aged 97.
6/1/2009 at 12:11 AM
Millvina Dean was a mere nine weeks old when the luxury Liner sunk on its maiden voyage from Southampton.
Miss Dean, who remembered nothing of the fateful journey, died on Sunday at the care home in Hampshire where she lived. Friends told news services that her family was travelling third class to America, where they were to start a new life in Kansas and open a Tobacco shop. She survived with her mother, Georgetta, and two year old brother Bert, but her father: Bertram was among those who perished.
On that fateful day in the early morning of April 15th 1912 despatches concerning the Titanic tragedy were meagre in Brandon. They did say that the unsinkable ship had sunk after a collision with an iceberg with the loss of thirteen hundred persons caused mainly because of the lack of Lifeboats.
Brandon resident Robert Fortune waited in vain for word that a brother’s family of six were among the hundreds taken from lifeboats by the rescue liner Carpathia.
Local Churches held memorial services with themes of the human nobleness during the moments before the certain and complete sacrifice. Magnificent tributes were paid the doomed ships musicians who attempted pacification amid the hysterical scenes rendered lilting music as the water around them deepened and they sank below the waves while playing “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” As Congregations left their respective places of worship the sombre sounds of the “Dread March,” or Chopin’s, “Marche Funebri” accompanied them.
Brandonites gave contributions to a world wide Titanic fund, and a local talent benefit concert netted two hundred dollars for the Widow’s and Orphans of the doomed Vessels heroic Bandsmen. The furniture for the new Prince Edward Hotel went down with the ship it was enroute from France.
Quote: If it hadn't been for the ship going down, I'd be an American, Millvina Dean.
Note: A few years ago Miss Dean was selling off her Titanic memorabilia to pay her expenses at the Home she lived in, and so the Stars of the movie did not think that was right, and so pooled together enough money to cover her costs.
Today they say the disaster resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people in the north Atlantic.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8070095.stm