THE AMAZING STORY OF UNLIKELY HEROES OF THE TITANIC – AT THE MITRE, HAMPTON COURT
Author Angela Young is the great granddaughter of a Titanic survivor and is giving an illustrated talk at The Mitre Hotel, Hampton Court, next Tuesday afternoon about the amazing heroism of her great- grandmother the Countess of Rothes and Able Seaman Thomas Jones in saving the lives of those on board Lifeboat Number 8.
Her talk is entitled ‘The Aristocrat, the Able Seaman and the Titanic’ and here she explains the fascinating background to her story.
She says: “I read letters between my great-grandmother, the Countess of Rothes and Able Seaman Thomas Jones, the aristocrat and the able seaman of this talk. Both survived the sinking of RMS Titanic.
“The world is full of Titanic stories and most people know she sank on her maiden voyage in April 1912.
“But the stories of the people who kept hope alive among the frightened freezing lifeboat passengers, the people who took charge in the lifeboats, are often forgotten.
“The Aristocrat and the Able Seaman tells the story of two of those people: two who showed great courage, skill and kindness on that terrifying night; two who, under any other circumstances, would never have met let alone worked together; two who worked fearlessly and harmoniously for the sake of more than twenty-five others in Lifeboat Number 8 as they took them to safety.
“Thomas Jones was the son of a Welsh fisherman; Noël Rothes was the daughter of a wealthy English businessman.
“He wasn’t married; she became an aristocrat through marriage and had two sons.
“Thomas Jones began working for the White Star Line (Titanic’s owners) in his twenties; by her twenties Noël Rothes was running Leslie House, the family seat in Fife that her husband, the 19th Earl of Rothes inherited.
“But on the night of 14-15 April, 1912, The Aristocrat and the Able Seaman worked tirelessly, side-by-side, for the sake of all those on board Lifeboat Number 8.
“The sources for this talk are Noël’s and Thomas’s correspondence, their newspaper interviews and other written accounts including the evidence and statements they each gave to the official inquiries into the disaster.”
Their story, rarely told, highlights the courage, skill and kindness of two unlikely heroes who worked together on the night of 14-15 April 1912 and remained in contact.
The talk delves into their very divergent backgrounds, recounts their heroism and examines some of the tragedy’s causes and the important reforms that came from it.
The talk will be followed by an Afternoon Tea to suit the glamour of the subject.
Event Details:
Date: 25th February
Interview: from 3:00 pm
Afternoon Tea: 4:00 pm
Price: £37.50
You can buy tickets here: The Aristocrat, the Able Seaman and the Titanic | Tickets , East Molse