1 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: Delicious friends, and welcome to Who Did What Now? The 2 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,639 Speaker 1: history podcast that is not Your history class with me, 3 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 1: your host, Katie Charlwood, History Harlotte and reader of books. 4 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: You know, I'm really trying to be positive about everything anything, 5 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: but my god, the world is on fire and it 6 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: seems like some people are intent on just not only 7 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: lighting the match, but dousing the place and accelerant. You know, 8 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 1: it just seems to be happening more and more, and 9 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: my patience just seems to be aware and thinner and thinner, 10 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: Like it's gotten to the point that my bullshit tolerance 11 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: is so low it's doing shots with balsabub and hades. 12 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: I'm trying. I'm trying to talk about The Titanic, but 13 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 1: people keep bringing up the movie like it's fact and 14 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,639 Speaker 1: it's it's it's not. It is a work of fiction 15 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: that is based around historical events, like historical events are 16 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:20,839 Speaker 1: the backdrop, and there's so much misinformation actually that even 17 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: comes from the movie itself that it's perpetuated, like and 18 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: it doesn't even just come from that, like from A 19 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: Night to Your Member in nineteen fifty eight, like from that, 20 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: like there's a lot of borrowed parts you can even 21 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: see it in the James Camera movie. 22 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 2: But I'm not here to dissect, you know, movies about 23 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 2: maritime wreckages. 24 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: However, it's not a documentary. Okay, that's my point. That 25 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: being said, I have actually had some really really lovely 26 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: like emails this week. Like I've had a lot of nice, 27 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: nice comments and emails and a very very fun interaction 28 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: in my comments section that was just Monty Python quotes, 29 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: but in conversation, and obviously some really fun gifts. I'm 30 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: not saying, Jeff, guys, I'm not doing it now. I 31 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: do feel I do feel like I need to be 32 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: more positive, like actively, like I think I need more 33 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: positivity in my life and to help sort of breed that. 34 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: So that's that's my goal. My goal is to kind 35 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: of focus on that and to try and not fall 36 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: into a swirling whirlpool of despair. But anyway, I know 37 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: what you're thinking. You're thinking, Kerrie, quite your jibbl jabba 38 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: in fact me, In fact you I will. But first 39 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: we've got to get our source on. Our sources are 40 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: Titanic survivor the Memoirs of Violet Jessop by Violet Jessup, 41 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: lost voices from The Titanic by Nick Barrett. Titanic A 42 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: Knight Remembered by Stephanie Barschowski. The Knight the Ship went 43 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:17,079 Speaker 1: Down by Andrea Broomfield. Women in the Great War by 44 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: Women in the Great War by Tania and Stephen Wynn. 45 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: The Investigation into the Loss of the Titanic nineteen twelve 46 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: by Lord Mersey, The Titanic Experience in Belfast and Encyclopedia Titanica. Yes, 47 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: that is a real thing. Of course, we have a 48 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: lot of newspaper reports from the Times, you know a 49 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: lot of them. It shockingly unreliable, and we also have 50 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: our old favorites he history dot com and biography dot com. 51 00:03:50,720 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: But I also it in'tcomfortably gold. Then let's begin. When 52 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: it came to talking about the Titanic for Titanic a Month, 53 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: because I decided to make it this month's theme. I 54 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: keep calling that a block. I'm like, it's a block, 55 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: And someone was like, honey, theme, the words you're looking 56 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: for is theme, and I'm like, oh, to you, it's 57 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: a theme, Okay, I get it. So one thing I 58 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 1: really wanted to talk about when it came to Titanic 59 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: was because it is very clear to see that quite 60 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: a lot of people. The information they have regarding the 61 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: Titanic literally comes from you know, the movie in nineteen 62 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: ninety seven, is it nineteen ninety eight, whenever it was 63 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: the Titanic movie by James Cameron, Jim Jim and Jim Jim, 64 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: Andy Jim Jim, you know, and YouTube conspiracyy videos. Okay, 65 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 1: it seems to be that that's a lot of that, 66 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: and so that is something that I want to like dispel, 67 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: and I want to talk about people because I think 68 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 1: that's far more important. Although I will be talking at 69 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: one point about technical stuff about the ship because I 70 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: need to dispel some myths, but like I don't like 71 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: having to talk about physics. It's not my jam or 72 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 1: my buttter. So without further ado, let us start on 73 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: a member of staff. Like we always talk about the 74 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: you know, passengers on the Titanic, but a lot of 75 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 1: the time it's like, oh, there was like twy two 76 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 1: hundred people on board, but it's always lumped in a 77 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: very weird way because there wasn't two two hundred pssengers 78 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,600 Speaker 1: on it. There were passengers and then like nine hundred 79 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: crew members, Like it takes a lot of bodies to 80 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: get the ship running in the manner in which it 81 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: had to run. And so today we're talking about miss 82 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: Unsinkable Violet Jessop. Violet Constance Jessup was born on the 83 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 1: second of October eighteen eighty seven and the Pampas near 84 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: Baya Blanca in Argentina. She was the first child to 85 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: Irish immigrants Catherine Kelly and her husband William Jessop. Like 86 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: millions before and after, the Jessops had left Ireland in 87 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 1: search of a better life across the Atlantic. The Jessops 88 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: were originally from Dublin and emigrated during the mid eighteen eighties, 89 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:26,799 Speaker 1: which really isn't all that surprising. Ireland suffered three famines 90 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:30,920 Speaker 1: in less than fifty years, and Gottimore which was the 91 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: one that most people have heard of, which was between 92 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:37,600 Speaker 1: eighteen forty five and eighteen fifty two. Now you might 93 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: hear about Black forty seven, which is eighteen forty seven, 94 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: which was the very worst year of and Gotimore the 95 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: Great Hunger. And so what happened here is this is 96 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 1: when you had that highest level of devastation, the highest 97 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 1: level of starvation, and the highest level of immigration, like 98 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 1: really everything is going then another famine followed in eighteen 99 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: sixty one, which hit the west coast more than the east, 100 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: and then and got a bug in eighteen seventy nine. 101 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: So three famines, you know, relatively quick secession because you're 102 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 1: not really managing to get over one before another happens. 103 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: And like sidebar, you can call it the famine. You 104 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: can call it the famine. There was a few of them, 105 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: but you can say the famine. That is still correct, right. 106 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:41,239 Speaker 1: Famine is also a tool of genocide. You can also 107 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: say that. You can also say that famine or the 108 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: famine was a genocide. Those are all correct statements. You 109 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: can say famine. What you can't really say, what is 110 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: disrespectful is calling it a potato famine, right, because that's 111 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: that was how the colonial powers downplayed the absolute travesty 112 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: and tragedy that was happening all over the country that 113 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: they created. Okay, they created mastarvation and they called it 114 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: the potato fatmlin to be like oh the Irish and 115 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: their potatoes like no, but that is another story for 116 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: another day. So Ireland, when they are getting married, it 117 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: is still very much under British rule, and cities like 118 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: Dublin very much under Anglo rule. So This is where 119 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: a lot of the Anglo Irish would be from, and. 120 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 3: As such, the ruling classes were by and large Protestant. 121 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:49,199 Speaker 3: The Jessups were a Catholic household, and this couple decided 122 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 3: to take their chances in South America to start a 123 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 3: new life. However, things didn't exactly go to plan. William 124 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 3: he really wanted to be a sheep farmer. Unfortunately, in 125 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 3: order to do that you need the finances to buy 126 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 3: or breed a lot of sheep, and he did not like. 127 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 3: The jess Ups were not exactly a family of means. 128 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 3: They lived in a one room building, which honestly so 129 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 3: typical for regular ordinary people of the time. And like, 130 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 3: there's this story about how the children when they were small, 131 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 3: like babies to infant toddler, that they slept in cribs 132 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 3: made of repurposed gin creates. And this comes up quite 133 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 3: a lot, actually, And. 134 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: I don't know why that is such a surprising thing, right, 135 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: because they used to put babies in baskets and drawers, Right, 136 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: you used what you had, like working class eighteen hundreds, Right, 137 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: they were a waste not want not era. Okay, But 138 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: back to the sheep farming for a second, I became 139 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: clear to William that he was not going to be 140 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 1: able to afford to buy enough sheep to make the 141 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: sheep farm a working sheep farm. It was not going 142 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: to be self sustaining, and so he took on other 143 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 1: means of employment. He was a customs officer for the 144 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: Bahia Blanca Port Authority and even worked for a railroad 145 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: line at one point. Like these were more financially secure 146 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:28,200 Speaker 1: positions for the family, but a steady income does not 147 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: always protect one's family. Violet was the oldest child of nine. Unfortunately, 148 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 1: only five of her siblings would reach adulthood, with her 149 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 1: four brothers and one sister. A baby sister, Molly, died 150 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:51,840 Speaker 1: of meningitis. Two of her younger brothers almost died of diphtheria. Now, 151 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: diphtheria is an infectious disease that is one of the 152 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: ones that you vaccinate against because you know it used 153 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: to kill babies. It spread through droplets in the air 154 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: like that cough there susan. It can be manageable, but 155 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,679 Speaker 1: in severe cases, the lymphodes can swell, creating what's known 156 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 1: as bull neck, sort of like a frog's throat just 157 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: before it ribbits like that, it looks like that, like 158 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: this can cause suffocation, as can this pseudo membrane, like 159 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: because this gray patch that grows like like on the 160 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: pala and everything, and it can block airways. So then 161 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:37,960 Speaker 1: of course you've got paralysis and heart failure so on 162 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: and so forth. Like this is one of those diseases 163 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: that there was a big campaign going vaccain edgeob children 164 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: against dip theorya because they would die so like measles 165 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: mumps rebella. Now, anyway, when Violet is small, both she 166 00:11:56,360 --> 00:12:01,559 Speaker 1: and her little brother Ray caught scarlet fever. She survived, 167 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:07,719 Speaker 1: Ray did not. After this, she contracts tuberculosis, although this 168 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,680 Speaker 1: would have been just called consumption at the time. Now, 169 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: tuberculosis caused violet lungs to hemorrhage, and even when she 170 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: was old enough to attend school, doctors advised that she 171 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: stay home due to complications from her illness. Like at 172 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,680 Speaker 1: one point she's in the hospital and it's very much 173 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: touch and goal, like the doctors think she's not going 174 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 1: to make it right, and months she's given a prognosis 175 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:42,080 Speaker 1: of like months to live right somewhere along the road. 176 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: As well, she manages to contract typhoid. Now, a lot 177 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: of these diseases are the ones that spread in you know, 178 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:59,559 Speaker 1: population dense area areas where you have you know, unfortunately 179 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: lower levels of hygiene. And that's just because of sanitation 180 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: in the area and and germ theory. I mean it's 181 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: only really coming about at this point too, you know, 182 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:20,600 Speaker 1: before we knew and understand basic health things like the 183 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: spread of infectious diseases. So they're like, it's going to 184 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: be a couple of months, and you might be able 185 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,599 Speaker 1: to extend her life or give her a more comfortable 186 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,479 Speaker 1: last few months, if you like, move to the mountains 187 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: where the air is like a wee bit better. William 188 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:41,360 Speaker 1: manages to get a transfer to work in Mendoza, which 189 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:45,199 Speaker 1: is like at the foothills of the Andes, which is 190 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 1: the mountains, not the community Cobb Duo and Hot Fuzz. 191 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 2: Any surprising twist, this actually helps Violet mix of recovery 192 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 2: and is doing well. 193 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 1: So she is looking after younger siblings, She's playing with 194 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:06,480 Speaker 1: her pet armadillo, like she can go to school, Like 195 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: everything is coming up Millhouse, like going through so many 196 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 1: medical situations in her life, Like she was drawn to nursing, 197 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: Like she really really wanted to be a nurse, now, 198 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 1: I don't think at this point that being a doctor 199 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 1: would have been a consideration for her at the turn 200 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: of the century, but either way, the family couldn't afford 201 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: to send her to the necessary school in order for 202 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: her to get the training and become a nurse. When 203 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: she's about sixteen years old, her father has to have surgery, 204 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:49,280 Speaker 1: but there were complications and he dies in Mendoza, leaving 205 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: a heavily pregnant Catherine Jessup with six children to raise 206 00:14:54,480 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: on her own. Unfortunately, the baby does survive, and with that, 207 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: Catherine Jessup decides to leave Argentina, head back across the 208 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 1: Atlantic and settle in England. And she's planning on going 209 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: and taking all six surviving children with her, right, and 210 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: people are genuinely concerned that Violet's lungs are not going 211 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 1: to be able to handle the English heir, right because 212 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: England temperate zone, kind of damp, kind of cold, kind 213 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: of chili. Right. So two teachers like they offer to 214 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 1: adopt her, but Catherine's like adamant the full jess Up 215 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: clan are going to England. So when they like initially arrive, 216 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: they get help from Catherine's sister and her husband so 217 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: her brother in law. And it's not easy because, like 218 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 1: they're trying to get settled. You know, one woman six 219 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 1: children on a widows and I'm going to call it 220 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: a very meager pension, right, So Catherine needs to work 221 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 1: and she needs the children to be cared for. And 222 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 1: this is going to sound kind of weird today, right 223 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: because of how how we raise children nowadays. But what 224 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 1: a lot of people would do is back in the day, 225 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: the children will be sent into the care of you 226 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: know what, nuns. It's usually nuns, right, it was always nuns, 227 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: especially if you're a Catholic like Catherine was. So the 228 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: boys were put in a Catholic orphanage, again not uncommon 229 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: for the time, and this ensured that the boys were 230 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: raised in the faith and always so that they got 231 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: an education. They were clothed, and they were fed. I mean, 232 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:53,080 Speaker 1: it's not exactly five star cousine, but they'll being they'll 233 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 1: being satiated, shall we say. 234 00:16:57,720 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 2: So. 235 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: At the beginning, Violet is looking after her younger sister Eileen. 236 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:08,119 Speaker 1: But after more health issues, both Jessup girls go to 237 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: a convent. So they they bored in this convent and 238 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: they can still be together. They were able to continue 239 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: in education. And they were also clothed, sheltered, fed, also 240 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 1: a very common practice, like even here, even for me 241 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 1: as a here. And I'm not sure if it was 242 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: in Scotland or England, because I know that my great 243 00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:39,760 Speaker 1: grant had traveled south for work, so like left Scotland, 244 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:43,879 Speaker 1: made her way down to England, got work worked, and 245 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:48,480 Speaker 1: the children were boarded in like houses. Like you can 246 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:54,919 Speaker 1: actually see the registration of where these kids were, Like 247 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: I know where they were staying during the Manchester blitz. 248 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:01,960 Speaker 1: Like but after Second World War, so like, oh yeah, 249 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,360 Speaker 1: Manchester gets blitzed as she just like sidebar, Manchester gets blitzed, 250 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: and my great gran she takes my grant and they 251 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 1: walk from Manchester all the way up to Glasgow. And 252 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,679 Speaker 1: my grand's like three four at this point. Anyway, she 253 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: ends up like with the nuns right after the Second 254 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: World War. She's put in the convent for a bit. 255 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 1: And I've talked about this before, but one of her 256 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:33,359 Speaker 1: jobs there, one of her duties was cleaning coffins. Yeah, 257 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:37,159 Speaker 1: that's not traumatic for a child. That being said, Like 258 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 1: she knew a lot about coffins by the time she 259 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 1: was older, Like she was explaining stuff to me back 260 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: in the day, and it's like, wow, what a very 261 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 1: reasonable knowledge to have that is not often shelled. So 262 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 1: like people would put their kids in these religious institutions 263 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:58,919 Speaker 1: for their protection, especially people in poverty, people who are 264 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: working class. Now, woul't you think that rich people used 265 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: to put their kids into boarding school. It's not really 266 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:13,919 Speaker 1: that different. It's just one is free and one is 267 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:19,159 Speaker 1: paid for. It's like, what classy if you're rich in 268 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: traghy of their power sending your kids away to be 269 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,159 Speaker 1: cured for someone else and educated. 270 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:26,239 Speaker 2: What. 271 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:31,880 Speaker 1: So, now here's the thing. I'm not here to say 272 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 1: that some children will not abandoned obviously somewhere, but others, 273 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:41,119 Speaker 1: when they're putting their kids into this care, they believe 274 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: that they're doing the right thing. And of course a 275 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:46,640 Speaker 1: lot of these people are very much driven by religion, 276 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:50,440 Speaker 1: and so they're thinking, oh, if I put the kids 277 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 1: in the care of this religious order, then obviously they're 278 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:56,159 Speaker 1: going to be raised the right way. They're going to 279 00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: be safe because these are people of God. Said anyway, 280 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:09,639 Speaker 1: so putting the kids into this care. Catherine manages to 281 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,960 Speaker 1: get a job as a stewardess on the Royal Mail line, 282 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 1: and she's working there for five years, and she's working 283 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: to earn money, but she's away a lot, and so 284 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:21,440 Speaker 1: she isn't really able to spend a lot of time 285 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:26,880 Speaker 1: with her family. And Violet, she's at the convent, she's 286 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:30,879 Speaker 1: getting her education, and she's thinking she might actually be 287 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 1: able to do the exams that can propel her into 288 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,400 Speaker 1: a career like being a nurse or even a governess. 289 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:42,680 Speaker 1: But alas, all this heavy work at sea for five 290 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,639 Speaker 1: years takes a toll on Catherine. She takes ill and 291 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 1: can no longer work, and so Violet, being the eldest, 292 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,959 Speaker 1: had to step up to support the family. And so 293 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,440 Speaker 1: she decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and get 294 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: a job as a stewardess upon a ship. In what 295 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: I can only describe as reverse pretty privilege and basic misogyny. 296 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:21,440 Speaker 1: Violet is about twenty one and going for these interviews, 297 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: and she keeps being told she's too young and too 298 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:29,200 Speaker 1: pretty to work on a ship like She's even told 299 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: her looks are disadvantageous because of the effects she'll have 300 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:41,760 Speaker 1: on passengers and crew alike. Sorry what sorry, honey, you're 301 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 1: too hot to travel. The men won't be able to 302 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:47,760 Speaker 1: contain themselves. Okay, how about train your boys to have 303 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:55,400 Speaker 1: some basic fucking manners perhaps. And Violet, she's she's gorgeous, right, 304 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:59,879 Speaker 1: she has these gray blue eyes, thick auburn hair, and 305 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 1: this beautiful Irish lilt in her voice. And she's just 306 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: too pretty to get a job. And so she says, 307 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:12,080 Speaker 1: fuck this for Game of Soldiers and deliberately makes herself 308 00:22:12,119 --> 00:22:15,719 Speaker 1: look less attractive in order to get a job. Like 309 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:18,960 Speaker 1: her and her mother like go to find like out 310 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: of fashion clothes, stuff that looks from pay like anything 311 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 1: to make herself look as dowdy and from pay as possible, 312 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:30,800 Speaker 1: like a reverse. She's all that, if you will, and 313 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: what do you know? It works. She gets a job 314 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,440 Speaker 1: on the Royal Mail Line, which is the post right, 315 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,280 Speaker 1: it's a postal service, way before airmail. All the post 316 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: was sent and sorted by c and her first job 317 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: was aboard the RMS or AOC. She traveled from England 318 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: to the West Indies or the Caribbean to you and me, 319 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:58,440 Speaker 1: don't you mean Caribbean? No I do not. So it 320 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: did take her I'm such a dick, sorry, it did 321 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:06,440 Speaker 1: take her away bit to get her sea legs. And 322 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 1: it was mainly mind over matter, Like it was determination 323 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: more than anything else, because like even after that, it 324 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 1: wasn't exactly smooth sailing, Like this was grueling work. You 325 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 1: had long days. You were cleaning cabins, delivering meals, running 326 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:30,919 Speaker 1: errands for passengers, and even looking after sick passengers. Like 327 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:33,400 Speaker 1: she could be running around all day and then up 328 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,880 Speaker 1: half the night with some top piking the guts out, 329 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 1: which is not exactly a pleasure cruise lance. Like what's 330 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 1: interesting is that in this position, like it's not exactly 331 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,000 Speaker 1: one in which you were formally trained. You hit the 332 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 1: ground running, you learn as you go sort of thing. 333 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:58,920 Speaker 1: But Violet was a hard worker, diligent, orderly, unassuming and 334 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:03,719 Speaker 1: really just got on my Like on her very first voyage, 335 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 1: everyone is sick, right, everyone is sick, even the ship's doctor. 336 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,560 Speaker 1: Like there's a storm that happens, like everything is happening 337 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 1: all at once. She gets a cut on her thumb 338 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,640 Speaker 1: and it gets infected, and it's like she doesn't get 339 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: it treated right away, Like it gets quite bad because 340 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:23,159 Speaker 1: she can't go to the doctor because his head's in 341 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: a bucket, right, Like she can't be seen, and she 342 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:31,439 Speaker 1: just like pulls through it, right, gets on with it. 343 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 1: You got physical labor, you got long days. But she 344 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 1: does get a little downtime when they hit land, which 345 00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:44,399 Speaker 1: is her favorite part of this whole experience. She loved 346 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: visiting port. She really enjoyed like New York City and 347 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: visiting Buenos Eris. It reminded her of her childhood, Like 348 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,679 Speaker 1: she got to explore places, and they're like because basically 349 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 1: the ships would have to dock in order to refresh, right, 350 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,200 Speaker 1: so they'd need to get supplies, they would need to 351 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:06,840 Speaker 1: whatever they were, you know, cargo they were carrying would 352 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: go off. Whatever new carrier they were supposed to take 353 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: had to go on. Like things had to be laundered 354 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 1: as well, so like all of the bedding on the ship, 355 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,400 Speaker 1: everything like that would all need to be refreshed, cleaned, 356 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:26,679 Speaker 1: you know, brought on board. So you know, she had 357 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 1: time to actually enjoy port because there was so much 358 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: that had to be done. Because remember, like these ships 359 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,679 Speaker 1: were a to B right, this was not a cruise 360 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: or such. These were for immigration goods mail, right, Like 361 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: that's what this was for. Now. Being on the ships 362 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 1: on a certain line meant they were often working with 363 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:56,679 Speaker 1: the same crew members and obviously certain passengers would prefer, 364 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: you know, oh, I only go on the Red Star line, 365 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: or I only travel on this line because you know, 366 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: or I only follow this captain, Like the captain of 367 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,880 Speaker 1: the Titanic basically had his own little fan club, and 368 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: some people would only travel if they knew that he 369 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,360 Speaker 1: was captaining the ship. Like, so this was a very 370 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:20,639 Speaker 1: common thing. And so Violet, she's basically caring for like 371 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 1: first and second class passengers. That's typically her duties as 372 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 1: a stewardess. Right now, that meant being on this ship, 373 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,879 Speaker 1: like it's close quarters. You know, you're often traveling with 374 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,800 Speaker 1: the same people, and Violet was not so keen on this, 375 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:44,679 Speaker 1: Like cliques were not uncommon, and when you're with people 376 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: in an enclosed space for a lengthy period of time, 377 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: well everything starts to create on you, like a pressure 378 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:57,880 Speaker 1: cooker or like a boiler pot scenario. Now, even when 379 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 1: she tried to make under herself, she was noticed by 380 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: the passengers and crew alike, and she was often fending 381 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,399 Speaker 1: off advances. And by fending off advances, I mean that 382 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:15,199 Speaker 1: she was harassed and therefore, you know, avoiding attempts of 383 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: sexual assault. Like she receives three marriage proposals as a stewardess, 384 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:24,720 Speaker 1: all of which she declined, like it's one of those 385 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:29,480 Speaker 1: things that sounds like it's romantic, but it's not, because 386 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,600 Speaker 1: she clearly was not interested in marrying any of those schmucks. 387 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 4: Like like, if she was genuinely interested in someone and 388 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:42,040 Speaker 4: actually wanted to marry them, like she would do that, 389 00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:44,679 Speaker 4: she would take this opportunity, like that's what she would do. 390 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:47,199 Speaker 1: But I don't know. Part of me always feels like 391 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:52,560 Speaker 1: she's very Catholic. People know she's very Catholic, and the 392 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:55,719 Speaker 1: marriage proposal could just be like a sneaky way of 393 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 1: trying to like lure her to bed, you know, and 394 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:05,359 Speaker 1: she about that because you know, super diuper Catholic. So 395 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 1: there's this married captain who takes an interest in Violet, 396 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:12,959 Speaker 1: and this changes the trajectory of her career a wee 397 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,800 Speaker 1: bit because she's not interested in him, because one, don't 398 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: piss on your own doorstep. In two, he's married, and 399 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: again she's super Catholic, like she carries rosary beads in 400 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: her apron right. The first time he tries his luck, 401 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: she rejects him, and of course his fragile male ego 402 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: cannot handle it, and so the second time they travel together, 403 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 1: he finds problems with everything she does, Like he reprimands 404 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:48,360 Speaker 1: her for like flirting with officers, which she is absolutely 405 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: not doing right, but he keeps making comments in lying 406 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,280 Speaker 1: and making these statements about her reputation, and then he 407 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 1: dismisses her, and so she's lost her job. She's lost 408 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,960 Speaker 1: this position. She can't prove he's lying, and there's nothing 409 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: she can do about it when he dismisses her for 410 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: sluttery that she was not a part of. And it's 411 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: tough for her because like she's a woman in the past, 412 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 1: there's not a lot that she can do in this scenario, 413 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: like this is an issue, and so like she just 414 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:34,680 Speaker 1: starts applying for like all these lines, like she's applying 415 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: for this, that, and the other. Like she doesn't really 416 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: want to join the White Star Line specifically, the hours 417 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,840 Speaker 1: were long, the crossing was choppy, and the North Atlantic 418 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 1: was cold, and she had so many health concerns, right, 419 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: and she also knew the company's reputation for excellence and 420 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: knew that meant that she'd be run ragged around first 421 00:29:56,680 --> 00:30:01,960 Speaker 1: class passengers. But again, she she's been dismissed, and so 422 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 1: she really needs to get a position, and she needs 423 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:08,040 Speaker 1: it quick, and so she joined the White Star Line. 424 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:09,040 Speaker 2: Right. 425 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:14,120 Speaker 1: She worked on the Majestic, the Adriatic, and the Oceanic 426 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:19,840 Speaker 1: also known as now the cousins of the Titanic. So 427 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 1: these were sort of the tip top of the White 428 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 1: Star Line at the time. So like, there were other 429 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:33,920 Speaker 1: lines like coming from Germany, and they were more focused 430 00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 1: on speed than they were and anything else. This made 431 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 1: the crossings like less comfortable for passengers from first class 432 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 1: all the way down to stairage, right, and so they 433 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: sort of, you know, they had speed on their side, 434 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:52,000 Speaker 1: but not comfort. And this is where White Star Line 435 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 1: saw a gap in the market. And we're like, we 436 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:59,160 Speaker 1: want to focus on you know, a comfortable, safe, better travel, 437 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:02,680 Speaker 1: Like we want to just be like the best for 438 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: all classes. So like she becomes a dab hand traveling 439 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 1: to and from New York City and as she's working 440 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 1: on the White Star Line seventeen hours a day, earning 441 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:21,480 Speaker 1: a grand total of two pounds and ten shillings a month, 442 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:26,239 Speaker 1: and she was fantastic. She was loved by passengers who 443 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:30,520 Speaker 1: found her diligent, hard working, kind, considerate, compassionate. They wrote 444 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: letters about how she cared for them during bouts of seasickness. 445 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,600 Speaker 1: Like she was a fast learner, she was level headed. 446 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 1: Her work ethic was noticed by her superiors, and when 447 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 1: the Olympic class ships were built, she was hand picked 448 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 1: to serve on the first of three sister ships, the Olympic, 449 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:56,280 Speaker 1: the largest and most luxurious ship in the Atlantic. The 450 00:31:56,480 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 1: RMES Olympic was launched on the twenty of October nineteen ten, 451 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:04,560 Speaker 1: with its maiden voyage on the fourteenth of June nineteen eleven. 452 00:32:05,920 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 1: It had undertaken four journeys, then on its fifth and 453 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:16,120 Speaker 1: September it was leaving Southampton. So twentieth September nineteen eleven, 454 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:20,480 Speaker 1: it's on the stolen and it collides with the AHMS Hawk, 455 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 1: which was not a passenger ship. It was a warship 456 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:33,120 Speaker 1: designed to sink other ships by ramming into them. Right this, 457 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:40,080 Speaker 1: like passenger ship is rammed by a warship that's designed 458 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:44,080 Speaker 1: to ram ships and sink them. Now, both ships are 459 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: damaged in this collision, but the Olympic had a whole 460 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:52,600 Speaker 1: breach just below the waterline. In a crazy random happenstance, 461 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:58,000 Speaker 1: it didn't actually sink and it managed to return to port. 462 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: Like it later returned to doc for repairs back in Belfast, 463 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 1: which took over six weeks to complete. This meant that 464 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 1: work on the Titanic actually had to be put on 465 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:16,600 Speaker 1: hold and delayed the launch, which some people say, you know, 466 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:20,600 Speaker 1: is one of the reasons why it was in such 467 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:24,960 Speaker 1: a treacherous rooped at the time because of when the 468 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:33,560 Speaker 1: you know, the ice was melting. So anyway, Violet is 469 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:39,320 Speaker 1: on the crew with Captain Edward Smith. Yes, him and 470 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:43,600 Speaker 1: the Navy did an investigation which put all the blame 471 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 1: on the Olympic, saying that it sucked the smaller ship 472 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 1: in sure jan. Once the Olympic was back in the water, 473 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:58,320 Speaker 1: Violet Jessup was aboard and ready to work. After working 474 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:01,480 Speaker 1: on the Olympic for over a year, she was selected 475 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:04,040 Speaker 1: to join the jewel in the White star Line's eyes, 476 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 1: like the diamond of the fleet, the bigger and better 477 00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: sister Olympic class ship, the Titanic. She wasn't that fussed 478 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,080 Speaker 1: about joining the crew, but her friends convinced her that 479 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,319 Speaker 1: this would be a great thing to do, a once 480 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 1: in a lifetime you know, meeting the who's who and whatnot. 481 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:30,840 Speaker 1: But there's like they're adamant that this is like a 482 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:33,640 Speaker 1: super awesome thing and experience for her, it's going to 483 00:34:33,680 --> 00:34:38,200 Speaker 1: be like the best. And so she says, yeh, sure, 484 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:42,759 Speaker 1: she relents and she joins, right, And she's working on 485 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:48,120 Speaker 1: the Titanic, right, not too bothered about it or the 486 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:50,840 Speaker 1: people like for her ships of ship. Right. She's still working, 487 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:54,520 Speaker 1: still long days, still doing a bit. But she had 488 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:59,920 Speaker 1: friends in the crew and the kinder crew. So for example, 489 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:05,200 Speaker 1: the Marconi operators on the ship, like, they were not 490 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: technically part of the White Star crew. They were from Marconi, right. 491 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:13,320 Speaker 1: And the musicians they were leased out by another company. 492 00:35:13,719 --> 00:35:17,080 Speaker 1: They didn't belong to the Titanic, to the White Star 493 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:20,839 Speaker 1: lines crew either, so a lot of the musicians would 494 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: stay in like second class as opposed to like anything lower. 495 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:30,920 Speaker 1: Now she does her job, she prays before bed, she 496 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:34,560 Speaker 1: hasn't really that much into anyone other than the man. 497 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:37,200 Speaker 1: I am fairly certain she had a big, massive crush 498 00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:43,920 Speaker 1: on Thomas Andrews, the designer of the Titanic. She basically 499 00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:45,880 Speaker 1: says in her memoirs that he's dashing and not so 500 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:46,480 Speaker 1: many words. 501 00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:46,839 Speaker 2: Right. 502 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:50,800 Speaker 1: She talks about the beloved designer who listened to the 503 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:54,600 Speaker 1: crew and paid attention to their requests for better quarters. 504 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:59,880 Speaker 1: Basically everything on the ship was an upgrade for every 505 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:03,439 Speaker 1: class and even the staff. Right, it's so well thought 506 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:06,680 Speaker 1: out because the Olympic had been running for a bit 507 00:36:06,719 --> 00:36:10,640 Speaker 1: and it had issues, and so they upgraded the Titanic 508 00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:14,480 Speaker 1: with all of these different bits and pieces, and like 509 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:20,160 Speaker 1: they just made it better effectively. And so like, I 510 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 1: think for her as well, because she was so used 511 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:27,200 Speaker 1: to being constantly harassed, Thomas Andrews, who was definitely not 512 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:31,840 Speaker 1: interested in her, like made him more appealing because he 513 00:36:31,920 --> 00:36:37,520 Speaker 1: didn't try any shit with her. So she shares a 514 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:42,040 Speaker 1: room with another stewardess we think to be Elizabeth Leather. 515 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:46,120 Speaker 1: Oh and like I should mention as well, out of 516 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:49,160 Speaker 1: the nine hundred or so crew members, only twenty three 517 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 1: were women, right, Like, so her being picked for this 518 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,719 Speaker 1: kind of a big deal. So she worked during the 519 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:02,320 Speaker 1: day and would before bed time take a stroll along 520 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:06,359 Speaker 1: the deck right at night, like in the Chile North 521 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:13,440 Speaker 1: Atlantic air refreshing, soothing, some might say. Then on the 522 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:17,720 Speaker 1: night of April fourteenth, nineteen twelve, she's kind of dozing 523 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:20,879 Speaker 1: in our bunk. She's not quite asleep, but she's kind 524 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 1: of starting to drift, and that's when the collision with 525 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:31,240 Speaker 1: the iceberg happens, Like Elizabeth tells her that it sounds 526 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:34,520 Speaker 1: like something happened, right, because there's a noise and then 527 00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:40,560 Speaker 1: silence right after. So they get dressed very quickly. Right, 528 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:43,799 Speaker 1: they're ordered to go up on deck, and they're told 529 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 1: by the steward Stanley, that the ship is sinking, but 530 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:51,560 Speaker 1: it's very much oh, it's a precaution it might be sinking, right, 531 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:55,239 Speaker 1: and so the escort passengers to their lifeboats. It's very 532 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:58,440 Speaker 1: calm and orderly. First class passengers are just kind of 533 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:01,520 Speaker 1: strolling along the deck, and so they get people into 534 00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:04,200 Speaker 1: the boats and then there is really anything to do. 535 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: So the two stewardesses go back to their cabin, after 536 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:13,040 Speaker 1: which Stanley comes back and it is like, no, seriously, 537 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:16,359 Speaker 1: the ship is actually sinking, and he goes into her 538 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:18,839 Speaker 1: like her trunk and everything, and he's trying to find 539 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,959 Speaker 1: them warmer clothes, right that they don't they don't really 540 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:26,560 Speaker 1: have a lot, but like there isn't time, and so 541 00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:31,919 Speaker 1: up they go up to the top deck, right, and 542 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,960 Speaker 1: like she's got her cork life dragged on in like 543 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:41,720 Speaker 1: a very very basic dress, very light now, so everything 544 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:44,960 Speaker 1: was being treated as a precaution, a just in case. 545 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,799 Speaker 1: But when she's back up on deck, she feels the 546 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:52,200 Speaker 1: boat very noticeably start to tilt. Like she's been on 547 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:56,520 Speaker 1: ships for a while, she knows better, right, And at 548 00:38:56,560 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 1: this point there are passengers aboard who do not speak English, 549 00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:06,040 Speaker 1: and women are clinging to their husbands and so like 550 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 1: officers like tell Violet and her bunkmate right to get 551 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:15,960 Speaker 1: into lifeboat sixteen to show the passengers it's safe and so, 552 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:20,160 Speaker 1: and she goes right. When she gets in the boat, 553 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:26,160 Speaker 1: sixth Officer James Paul Moody calls out, miss jesub, dig 554 00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:30,240 Speaker 1: this baby with you. Then she describes it. A bundle 555 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:35,279 Speaker 1: is dropped into her lap. She's on this lifeboat for 556 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:41,080 Speaker 1: eight hours in the dark, holding someone's baby. She watched 557 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:43,799 Speaker 1: the lights go out as the ship sank, she heard 558 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:47,920 Speaker 1: an almighty crack, and she sat in darkness, surrounded by 559 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:52,560 Speaker 1: women and children, scared and cold, the sounds of survivors 560 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:57,000 Speaker 1: fading into silence, and all she could think was that 561 00:39:57,040 --> 00:40:01,200 Speaker 1: she'd left her toothbrush on board. Shock will do that 562 00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:03,960 Speaker 1: to you. You'll focus on something really innocuous and you 563 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:08,160 Speaker 1: be like my toothbrush, right, Like people panic about very 564 00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:12,319 Speaker 1: very tiny things because they need something to control in 565 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:17,880 Speaker 1: those very big situations, and it's really really common. Eventually, 566 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:23,279 Speaker 1: after again eight hours just bobbing on the Atlantic, she 567 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:28,960 Speaker 1: was rescued by the Carpathia. She gets aboard the rescue 568 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:32,440 Speaker 1: ship holding this baby to her cork life vest and 569 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:34,680 Speaker 1: the woman comes up and grabs it out of her 570 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:38,279 Speaker 1: arms and just runs away. Now whether or not this 571 00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:42,719 Speaker 1: was actually the child's mother, whom's to say, right, Like, 572 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:47,080 Speaker 1: allegedly the mother was on the Titanic and sat the 573 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:50,799 Speaker 1: baby on the deck to go get something. Now the 574 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:53,960 Speaker 1: officer just sees this baby again on the deck and 575 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 1: was like, not in you'l. Nelly just grabs them and 576 00:40:56,280 --> 00:41:01,960 Speaker 1: just passes them on to Violet. But like she's just 577 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:04,960 Speaker 1: had a baby snatch from her arms after watching a 578 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:09,560 Speaker 1: ship go down and many of her crewmates die. This 579 00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:14,719 Speaker 1: is not a typical situation, and the White Starline sent 580 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:19,600 Speaker 1: the s s Lapland to take survivors home. On the 581 00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:23,600 Speaker 1: twenty ninth of April nineteen twelve, she returned to Southampton. 582 00:41:25,239 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 1: And you'd think after, you know, suffering such a traumatic event, 583 00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:33,560 Speaker 1: you know at sea, that you might think, you know, 584 00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:36,920 Speaker 1: what land is fine, you can just stay on land, 585 00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:38,920 Speaker 1: you know, you don't have to go out and do 586 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:43,480 Speaker 1: this anymore. But Violet Jessups said fuck this or a 587 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:46,520 Speaker 1: game of soldiers, and by June she was back at 588 00:41:46,560 --> 00:42:05,160 Speaker 1: sea aboard the Olympic. When the First World War breaks out, 589 00:42:05,560 --> 00:42:08,240 Speaker 1: I kind of puts the kibosh on the whole transatlantic 590 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:12,279 Speaker 1: you know travel, And so Violet uses this opportunity to 591 00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:15,239 Speaker 1: join the British Red Cross as part of the voluntary 592 00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:20,360 Speaker 1: aid detachment. She starts off as a junior nurse, finally 593 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:22,720 Speaker 1: getting a go at the nursing profession that she wanted 594 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:27,120 Speaker 1: to do all those years before. She trained on land 595 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:31,960 Speaker 1: at a hospital treating the wounded and such. This is 596 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:35,400 Speaker 1: before being assigned to a ship, the third White Star 597 00:42:35,480 --> 00:42:42,279 Speaker 1: Line Olympic class vessel, the hm HS Britannic. That would 598 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:48,520 Speaker 1: be His Majesty's hospital ship. So Titanic's triplet. Now people 599 00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:52,799 Speaker 1: always talk about the Olympic and the Titanic, but you 600 00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:58,560 Speaker 1: know their sisters, their sisters, like they're not twins, the triplets, Okay, Olympic, Titanic, Britannic, 601 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:02,240 Speaker 1: and each one gets bigger, better, more luxurious, larger. 602 00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:08,600 Speaker 2: Now basically I mean it is the youngest sister of 603 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:13,440 Speaker 2: this group, but it's the largest, the most luxurious, like. 604 00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:23,320 Speaker 1: It is requisitioned by by the army right basically basically 605 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:26,080 Speaker 1: as part of the war effort. Many passenger ships were 606 00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:31,200 Speaker 1: requisitioned from military use, like the Olympic and the Britannic, 607 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:35,880 Speaker 1: so it becomes this floating hospital. It served from the 608 00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:38,520 Speaker 1: twenty third of December nineteen fifteen all the way through 609 00:43:38,560 --> 00:43:42,319 Speaker 1: to June nineteen sixteen. I mean it was released for 610 00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:45,399 Speaker 1: a bit and then it was requisitioned again two months later. 611 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:49,840 Speaker 1: The Britannic is in the ag and C on the 612 00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:53,360 Speaker 1: twenty first of November twenty sixteen when it hits a 613 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:57,000 Speaker 1: mine from a German U boat like not too far 614 00:43:57,040 --> 00:44:01,040 Speaker 1: from Greece like. Initially they think they hit by a torpedo. 615 00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:04,399 Speaker 1: But during all this violent as cam she goes back 616 00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:06,799 Speaker 1: to her cabin and because she is a woman who 617 00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:09,600 Speaker 1: learns from her mistakes, she makes sure to grab a 618 00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:13,920 Speaker 1: warm coat, a clock, her prayer book and of course 619 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:18,640 Speaker 1: her toothbrush. She puts on her life jacket and makes 620 00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:21,480 Speaker 1: her way to the deck. Now, the Titanic took a 621 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:23,920 Speaker 1: bit of time to sink two hours and forty minutes 622 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:28,000 Speaker 1: give her tech, but the Britannic was down. In fifty 623 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:32,359 Speaker 1: five minutes. The ship was sinking. The propellers are still going, 624 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:35,880 Speaker 1: and violent is watching lifeboats being launched and then pulled 625 00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:39,239 Speaker 1: back to the propellers and watching the propellers shread the 626 00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:44,520 Speaker 1: lifeboats and the people on them. Now, I've read the 627 00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:47,600 Speaker 1: series of events a few ways. She was on a 628 00:44:47,640 --> 00:44:50,719 Speaker 1: lifeboat that was getting sucked back to the propellers, or 629 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:54,520 Speaker 1: she didn't make it to a lifeboat. Either way, she 630 00:44:54,719 --> 00:44:59,399 Speaker 1: has to leap into the water, which good thing she's 631 00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:03,680 Speaker 1: got her life jacket on because she can't swim right, 632 00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:08,319 Speaker 1: and you're thinking she works on a boat. Yet you'd 633 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:12,160 Speaker 1: be surprised how many people on boats could not swim 634 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:15,200 Speaker 1: back in the day. Also, like a lot of the 635 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:19,520 Speaker 1: dresses they wore back then, they were like you know underskirtch, 636 00:45:19,520 --> 00:45:21,600 Speaker 1: we had layers. They were heavy. You would be pulled 637 00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:25,360 Speaker 1: down in the water. Now she has her coat on 638 00:45:26,040 --> 00:45:30,520 Speaker 1: and she has like her jacket over her life belt 639 00:45:30,600 --> 00:45:33,640 Speaker 1: over it. Now the issue is with that, Like she 640 00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:36,239 Speaker 1: had like warned other people on the ship, like put 641 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:38,239 Speaker 1: your coat on over your life jacket in case you 642 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:40,719 Speaker 1: need to take it off, And she didn't do that 643 00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:43,600 Speaker 1: because she was just so focused on getting her other stuff. 644 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:51,320 Speaker 1: Now either way, like, she's in that water. Now there's 645 00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:53,440 Speaker 1: a tail that she saw a hand reach for her, 646 00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:56,520 Speaker 1: but when she grabbed it, it was severed at the shoulder. 647 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:01,520 Speaker 1: She was at one point pulled out of the water 648 00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:06,520 Speaker 1: and into another lifeboat. Like when she leaps, she hits 649 00:46:06,520 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: her head off the keel, right, Meanwhile, the captain orders 650 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:16,520 Speaker 1: that propellers be shut off so that people can actually escape. Right, 651 00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:20,800 Speaker 1: she knows she's hurt her head and she loses a 652 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:22,680 Speaker 1: wee bit of hair, but there's a chance to get 653 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:27,080 Speaker 1: caught or lobbed off somewhere, but it isn't until years later, 654 00:46:27,840 --> 00:46:31,800 Speaker 1: like a little bit later, like she visits a doctor 655 00:46:31,800 --> 00:46:34,840 Speaker 1: because she's having issues concentrating and she's like struggling with 656 00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:37,760 Speaker 1: a few bits and he tells her that she suffered 657 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:41,400 Speaker 1: a skull fracture, Like, oh, yeah, you had a skull fracture. 658 00:46:41,440 --> 00:46:43,400 Speaker 1: And she's like, oh, I wonder if it's going I 659 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:48,719 Speaker 1: hit my head off the keel of a ship. Like 660 00:46:48,960 --> 00:46:51,279 Speaker 1: one of the stories about this, it's like, oh, she 661 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:55,520 Speaker 1: was like scalped by the propeller, which is just a 662 00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:58,640 Speaker 1: bit more of a dramatization, like there probably was somebody 663 00:46:58,719 --> 00:47:04,480 Speaker 1: scalped by a propeller and probably worse. But yeah, she's 664 00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:07,120 Speaker 1: got a skull fracture. She climbs into a lifeboat and 665 00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:10,840 Speaker 1: she lives another day. Like she used to joke that 666 00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:16,240 Speaker 1: she was saved because she had incredibly thick hair, right, 667 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:19,480 Speaker 1: And also if she's got that sort of I'm still 668 00:47:19,520 --> 00:47:22,680 Speaker 1: gonna call it like the Dwardian sort of button thing 669 00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:28,640 Speaker 1: going on, like there's some cushioning, you know. So with 670 00:47:28,760 --> 00:47:32,320 Speaker 1: a war on, getting a steward as job was tough, 671 00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:35,040 Speaker 1: and so she stayed on land for a bit of clerking, 672 00:47:36,040 --> 00:47:39,680 Speaker 1: and when the war was over, Violet resumed working aboard 673 00:47:39,760 --> 00:47:44,920 Speaker 1: the Olympic. And so she meets this steward, John James Lewis, 674 00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:48,360 Speaker 1: and she marries him on the twenty ninth of October 675 00:47:48,840 --> 00:47:53,040 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty three. She would later refer to this marriage 676 00:47:53,080 --> 00:47:57,239 Speaker 1: as brief and disastrous, Like I bet you he was 677 00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:01,600 Speaker 1: just really bad in bed. He was just terrible. It's 678 00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:04,560 Speaker 1: a terrible, terrible that like it wasn't great. I think 679 00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:09,000 Speaker 1: probably because like she's super Catholic, right, so I like 680 00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:13,080 Speaker 1: to imagine that she was like, hey, marriage and then 681 00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:14,960 Speaker 1: he was like, you don't have to live, you have 682 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,359 Speaker 1: to be my wife, and then the money isn't great 683 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:22,120 Speaker 1: as a steward anyway, and so she's like, oh no, oh, 684 00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:25,360 Speaker 1: and yeah, I feel like like she needed to be 685 00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:28,120 Speaker 1: busy because she was so used to always doing something 686 00:48:28,640 --> 00:48:31,560 Speaker 1: that to go from that to then nothing like would 687 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:35,080 Speaker 1: have been like really really tough. But also I think 688 00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:38,160 Speaker 1: he was just probably just like she had really bad 689 00:48:38,239 --> 00:48:41,399 Speaker 1: sex once andone's like, no, I'm good done. I don't 690 00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:46,200 Speaker 1: need that in my life. So she starts working for 691 00:48:46,280 --> 00:48:50,560 Speaker 1: the Red Star Line on world cruises, serving on the 692 00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:54,640 Speaker 1: flagship belgum Land, and she is on like five or 693 00:48:54,680 --> 00:48:58,160 Speaker 1: so annual cruises between what nineteen twenty six and early 694 00:48:58,800 --> 00:49:03,360 Speaker 1: thirty five, and then she returns to the Royal Mayline 695 00:49:03,520 --> 00:49:08,160 Speaker 1: in early nineteen thirty five, working on the RMS Alcantra 696 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:12,640 Speaker 1: up until the start of the Second World War. Now 697 00:49:13,200 --> 00:49:16,520 Speaker 1: she doesn't go back to nursing at sea. She decides 698 00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:20,240 Speaker 1: not to do that and she joins the war effort 699 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:26,360 Speaker 1: by nursing at home on land. And after the Second 700 00:49:26,360 --> 00:49:29,520 Speaker 1: World War she realizes that stewarding does not a retirement 701 00:49:29,600 --> 00:49:33,080 Speaker 1: fund make, and so she left the sea behind her 702 00:49:33,200 --> 00:49:36,279 Speaker 1: for the most part and worked in factories and did 703 00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:40,400 Speaker 1: some clerical work. Again, she's a very diligent, very organized person. 704 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:44,120 Speaker 1: So well, she's on when she's still on the White 705 00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:46,839 Speaker 1: Star line, no, the Red Star line. She writes her 706 00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:49,480 Speaker 1: memoirs like in nineteen thirty four, Like she writes them 707 00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:52,000 Speaker 1: because she's like, you know what, I've loved a lot. 708 00:49:52,040 --> 00:49:55,360 Speaker 1: She probably writes some stuff down, she doesn't publish them. 709 00:49:55,760 --> 00:49:59,040 Speaker 1: Her nieces find them and they are published in what 710 00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:03,560 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety seven, So like this is about when Titanic 711 00:50:03,560 --> 00:50:06,440 Speaker 1: fevers heading. So it's unsurprising that this came out there. 712 00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:10,080 Speaker 1: So a lot of the information we have about her 713 00:50:10,120 --> 00:50:13,960 Speaker 1: life from her memoirs. It's from that and from documentation, 714 00:50:15,239 --> 00:50:17,400 Speaker 1: and we're just kind of piecing it together from like 715 00:50:17,440 --> 00:50:22,759 Speaker 1: bits and pieces. After that. Now, she works until the 716 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:29,400 Speaker 1: ripe old age of sixty one, and she retires to 717 00:50:29,560 --> 00:50:35,040 Speaker 1: a cottage in Great Ashfield in Suffolk, England. Right, she's like, okay, no, 718 00:50:35,440 --> 00:50:38,439 Speaker 1: gonna go gonna go retire, And you think she's gonna 719 00:50:38,480 --> 00:50:42,520 Speaker 1: do nothing right, but no, no, she gardens. She gets 720 00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:46,279 Speaker 1: into gardening and she raises chickens. Right, she can't just 721 00:50:46,360 --> 00:50:49,799 Speaker 1: do nothing right. And the thing is as well. She's 722 00:50:49,840 --> 00:50:54,319 Speaker 1: actually fairly close to her sister Eileen. She's not too 723 00:50:54,360 --> 00:50:58,560 Speaker 1: far away, And I think that's a very deliberate choice 724 00:50:58,560 --> 00:51:01,279 Speaker 1: by her, Like she doesn't have a kids. She and 725 00:51:01,760 --> 00:51:04,880 Speaker 1: Lewis they got divorced, and I think she was just 726 00:51:04,960 --> 00:51:07,680 Speaker 1: kind of like pretty cool with her a lot in life, 727 00:51:07,680 --> 00:51:12,000 Speaker 1: like she had nieces, she had, you know, a fine time. 728 00:51:12,239 --> 00:51:18,160 Speaker 1: And she does get interviewed, like she gets interviewed for 729 00:51:18,280 --> 00:51:23,120 Speaker 1: Women magazine when the movie A Night to Remember is released, right, 730 00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:25,120 Speaker 1: I'd like to think that when she's asked about why 731 00:51:25,160 --> 00:51:27,759 Speaker 1: she kept getting on another ship and another ship, she 732 00:51:27,960 --> 00:51:33,520 Speaker 1: was just like, ship happens, you know. It's one of 733 00:51:33,520 --> 00:51:37,359 Speaker 1: those things where we talk about like her being in 734 00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:39,600 Speaker 1: like three shipwrecks, and it's like she was in two 735 00:51:39,640 --> 00:51:43,160 Speaker 1: shipwrecks and one like one thing that could have gone 736 00:51:43,200 --> 00:51:48,080 Speaker 1: really wrong but didn't. And like it's funny because in 737 00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:51,600 Speaker 1: her own memoirs, the Titanic is like such a small 738 00:51:51,640 --> 00:51:55,320 Speaker 1: part of it because she had a large life either 739 00:51:55,400 --> 00:51:59,360 Speaker 1: side of that. And remember she wasn't on the Titanic 740 00:51:59,400 --> 00:52:02,240 Speaker 1: for very long, right, it was a very short period 741 00:52:02,280 --> 00:52:06,880 Speaker 1: of time, so like she was not the only person 742 00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:10,680 Speaker 1: to survive like all three Olympic Class vessels. There was 743 00:52:10,719 --> 00:52:13,160 Speaker 1: like one other dude, I think he was on all three, 744 00:52:14,040 --> 00:52:15,759 Speaker 1: and there was a few people who were on like 745 00:52:15,840 --> 00:52:20,560 Speaker 1: two of them. So she lived the rest of her 746 00:52:20,600 --> 00:52:26,160 Speaker 1: life quietly, quite privately. And you know what, there's a 747 00:52:26,200 --> 00:52:29,440 Speaker 1: story where she gets a phone call. This is before 748 00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:34,120 Speaker 1: her memoirs, or this is before she tells anybody anything, 749 00:52:34,320 --> 00:52:38,120 Speaker 1: like not her sister, not anybody. She gets a phone 750 00:52:38,160 --> 00:52:41,080 Speaker 1: call from what she believes to be a woman's voice, 751 00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:45,920 Speaker 1: and it says, miss jess Up, you saved a baby 752 00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:50,640 Speaker 1: on the Titanic. That baby was me. Now, the only 753 00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:55,840 Speaker 1: baby that was like logged as being on lifeboat sixteen 754 00:52:56,600 --> 00:53:00,960 Speaker 1: was I think Alna to nude and that was a 755 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:04,759 Speaker 1: boy and he died in was a thirty one. So 756 00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:07,880 Speaker 1: by the time that she gets this call in her cottage, 757 00:53:08,640 --> 00:53:11,839 Speaker 1: it's you know, like one of her friends. He's like, oh, 758 00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:15,400 Speaker 1: you know what, it's clearly some neighborhood kids. They're making 759 00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:18,319 Speaker 1: like a joke, they're doing a prank call. And she's like, 760 00:53:18,480 --> 00:53:23,759 Speaker 1: I never told anyone that story, like ever, so how 761 00:53:23,840 --> 00:53:28,000 Speaker 1: would they know? Now, in fairness, there were other people 762 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:30,680 Speaker 1: on the lifeboat, and somebody could have said something to somebody, 763 00:53:30,760 --> 00:53:33,120 Speaker 1: or it could very well be you know what, she 764 00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:37,920 Speaker 1: was on that ship that sunk, right, what if she 765 00:53:38,040 --> 00:53:40,319 Speaker 1: saved a baby? Like what if somebody just went what 766 00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:41,920 Speaker 1: if that was the thing that happened and it just 767 00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:45,800 Speaker 1: happened to be one of those like oh, like crazy 768 00:53:45,880 --> 00:53:52,400 Speaker 1: random happenstances like the two Dennis, the Menaces and like 769 00:53:52,480 --> 00:53:55,640 Speaker 1: coincidences do exist sometimes in the world, and that could 770 00:53:55,640 --> 00:53:59,680 Speaker 1: have been that. Now, what I love about Violet Jessup 771 00:53:59,719 --> 00:54:02,160 Speaker 1: as well is she's a fucking oak tree, you know, 772 00:54:02,920 --> 00:54:05,200 Speaker 1: like God keeps trying to kill her, but she won't go. 773 00:54:07,480 --> 00:54:10,280 Speaker 1: But yeah, no, it's like so many things keep trying 774 00:54:10,280 --> 00:54:16,800 Speaker 1: to like tuberculosis, typhoid, scarlet fever. She has consistent and 775 00:54:16,560 --> 00:54:20,560 Speaker 1: she's in you know three Rex, let's say three. Sure, 776 00:54:20,600 --> 00:54:24,160 Speaker 1: we'll go with three. She's in the war, right, Like, 777 00:54:24,520 --> 00:54:28,279 Speaker 1: there's so many things that could have killed her. She 778 00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:29,719 Speaker 1: was married, like you know what I mean, so many 779 00:54:29,719 --> 00:54:34,319 Speaker 1: things could have ended her life and she kept going anyway. Now, 780 00:54:36,280 --> 00:54:37,759 Speaker 1: one other things she said is like why did you 781 00:54:37,800 --> 00:54:40,320 Speaker 1: get on another ship? And she's like I needed to work, 782 00:54:40,719 --> 00:54:44,040 Speaker 1: like I got to eat, you know. 783 00:54:44,960 --> 00:54:47,800 Speaker 2: But yeah, she lives the rest of her life quite 784 00:54:48,480 --> 00:54:51,840 Speaker 2: in peace, you know, near her family what she had left. 785 00:54:53,160 --> 00:54:57,240 Speaker 1: And on the fifth of May nineteen seventy one, Violet 786 00:54:57,480 --> 00:55:03,239 Speaker 1: Constant Jessup passed away Great Ashfield, Suffolk from congestinal heart 787 00:55:03,239 --> 00:55:08,920 Speaker 1: failure at the ripe old age of eighty three. She 788 00:55:09,040 --> 00:55:12,000 Speaker 1: was led to West and Hardest, where her sister Eileen 789 00:55:12,000 --> 00:55:16,480 Speaker 1: would join her two years later. And so ends the 790 00:55:16,520 --> 00:55:23,520 Speaker 1: story of Violet jess Up, Miss Unsinkable. Now I know 791 00:55:23,600 --> 00:55:26,239 Speaker 1: I haven't done this in a while, like because she 792 00:55:26,280 --> 00:55:28,520 Speaker 1: was in so many ships and things kept happening and 793 00:55:28,560 --> 00:55:31,680 Speaker 1: she kept not going down with it. You know, she 794 00:55:31,760 --> 00:55:37,279 Speaker 1: gets the title of Miss Unsinkable. And one of the 795 00:55:37,360 --> 00:55:39,279 Speaker 1: things I haven't done in a long time was like, 796 00:55:39,320 --> 00:55:41,040 Speaker 1: what have we learned today? Which is something I used 797 00:55:41,080 --> 00:55:44,279 Speaker 1: to do, like way back when I first started the podcast, 798 00:55:45,239 --> 00:55:47,640 Speaker 1: and I was thinking about it recently because I was 799 00:55:47,680 --> 00:55:50,960 Speaker 1: listening to old episodes to just kind of see how 800 00:55:51,040 --> 00:55:55,280 Speaker 1: far I'd come, And so, what have we learned today? 801 00:55:55,880 --> 00:55:59,520 Speaker 1: Always pack your toothbrush, like if we've learned anything from 802 00:55:59,560 --> 00:56:05,160 Speaker 1: Violet Up, always pack your to the brush. And uh yeah, 803 00:56:05,239 --> 00:56:07,640 Speaker 1: I have so rate and review five stars. No, somebody 804 00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:10,280 Speaker 1: was like, I can't find where to review five Stars 805 00:56:10,280 --> 00:56:13,680 Speaker 1: and Apple podcasts, So honestly, if they've changed the system, 806 00:56:14,200 --> 00:56:17,360 Speaker 1: I don't know, and I don't know. Just say nice things. 807 00:56:17,600 --> 00:56:21,160 Speaker 1: Comment comment on the episodes on Spotify, on a podcasts 808 00:56:21,239 --> 00:56:25,360 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen engagement, but say nice things because 809 00:56:25,480 --> 00:56:28,240 Speaker 1: I don't want to hear bad things because everything's already 810 00:56:28,280 --> 00:56:33,319 Speaker 1: bad enough. But yeah, sharing is caring, like when you 811 00:56:33,480 --> 00:56:38,560 Speaker 1: lets downward episodes, you share episodes, it just helps. Like 812 00:56:39,080 --> 00:56:41,160 Speaker 1: I'm an independent podcast. I'm gonna talk about me for 813 00:56:41,239 --> 00:56:44,120 Speaker 1: a second, right, I'm a very independent podcast. Everything is me. 814 00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:49,120 Speaker 1: Everything is done by me, like everything you can tell 815 00:56:49,160 --> 00:56:53,040 Speaker 1: because the editing is shocking, Like she gets better the 816 00:56:53,040 --> 00:56:58,520 Speaker 1: way that the snail gets better at running slowly. So yeah, yeah, 817 00:56:58,560 --> 00:57:01,840 Speaker 1: well the snail ever run. Let's and it can skateboard. 818 00:57:03,120 --> 00:57:07,560 Speaker 1: They find ways, Okay, let's do it. But yeah, everything 819 00:57:07,880 --> 00:57:13,480 Speaker 1: is like singular one person, and I'm slowly, slowly getting 820 00:57:13,520 --> 00:57:17,240 Speaker 1: things together where it can be a better option for everybody. 821 00:57:18,520 --> 00:57:23,760 Speaker 1: But I'm doing a vess there, and I really hope, 822 00:57:24,040 --> 00:57:27,919 Speaker 1: and I'm glad for everyone who actually appreciates this and 823 00:57:29,360 --> 00:57:30,760 Speaker 1: all the work that goes into it. And I'm sorry 824 00:57:30,800 --> 00:57:36,400 Speaker 1: that today's episode was late life happens easter. Everything's been 825 00:57:36,480 --> 00:57:37,880 Speaker 1: kind of up in the air, and I'm trying to 826 00:57:37,880 --> 00:57:42,640 Speaker 1: get stuff sorted before my trip as well. But yeah, 827 00:57:42,880 --> 00:57:45,040 Speaker 1: I'm going to be super prepared for that, guys, I promise. 828 00:57:45,480 --> 00:57:51,560 Speaker 1: Now recommendation time, Okay. For watching, I'm going to recommend 829 00:57:51,680 --> 00:57:55,560 Speaker 1: the other Bennett's Sister because it was a good time. 830 00:57:55,760 --> 00:57:59,560 Speaker 1: I just I needed something fairly light to watch in 831 00:57:59,600 --> 00:58:04,960 Speaker 1: that worked for me. So for listening, Sabrina Carpenter has 832 00:58:04,960 --> 00:58:07,360 Speaker 1: got a new song out called Houster just just have 833 00:58:07,440 --> 00:58:14,280 Speaker 1: some fun. And for reading, okay, Asako Uzuki, she's got 834 00:58:14,320 --> 00:58:19,280 Speaker 1: a new book out called Hooked. Okay, so go read Hooked. 835 00:58:19,400 --> 00:58:22,760 Speaker 1: It's oh I'm so excited. I loved Bottle. I loved 836 00:58:22,760 --> 00:58:26,360 Speaker 1: Bottle and now Hooked and yeah, so go read that 837 00:58:26,680 --> 00:58:28,880 Speaker 1: and that is everything. And with that, I shall bide 838 00:58:28,880 --> 00:58:33,080 Speaker 1: you good day, Adios au revoir adam my friend Bubo