Titanic Survivor | 
Reading #VioletJessop's biography! This woman survived a collision on the RMS Olympic, the sinking of the HMHS Britannic and the sinking of the famous RMS Titanic! How cool is that?
#ships #titanic #boats #books #bookish #nonfiction
pickWhat a pleasure to read! This is the memoir of a remarkable woman who neither altered history nor achieved fame and fortune, but rather worked hard, was kind to all, and made the best of life along the way. Of course, what makes her story so special was that the author spent 42 years at sea from 1908 to 1950, and survived not only the sinking of the Titanic, but of Britannic as well during WWI. Great insight about life "Downstairs" at sea!
"My heart nearly stood still when I saw my first letter from Australian soil, my welcoming letter from Ned. At first, I wanted to rip it open at once but decided instead to enjoy it when I was absolutely free of duties and company, to assimilate every dear line and the surprised welcome it no doubt contained. At last, in the toilet - generally the only place a person can be sure of privacy on board ship - I opened my letter."
"Youth and love converted my world into something so high that its shortcomings faded out. That was why, when a steward ran amok with a knife because I would not let him kiss me one sweltering night, I was able next day to forget that yesterday had ever been."
"I had always imagined that to take tea in Ceylon would be the acme of tea drinking. I approached my first Colombo cup reverently, but it proved the vilest lukewarm beverage I have ever tasted."
"She [RMS Olympic] came up to all our expectations and I sensed at once she was going to be a kindly ship, for all ships have character of their own which some people, more sensitive than others, are quick to realize. That is why there are happy ships, while others have a definitely depressing atmosphere."
Notice where and when stewardess Violet Jessop was discharged from her duties on the Titanic. #titanic #shipwreck #stewardess #memoirs
Poor Violet! In her 1st job as stewardess working for Royal Mail Lines she finds unrequited love, is hit on by the married captain, and, is groped by the purser who had ulterior motives in allowing her to convalesce in a larger stateroom while she suffered from malaria. Then, to boot, she gets fired from her job because the captain is mad at her for rebuking him. I haven't even reached the part where she is rescued from the Titanic! #titanic
