THE TITANIC:

MEMORIES OF TWO SURVIVORS

On 10th April, 1912, the Titanic began her first long voyage. She sailed from Southampton in England to Cherbourg in France. From there she began the journey to America. Eileen, an 11 year old girl, was one of 22 passengers who sailed on the Titanic from Southampton to Cherbourg. The voyage was to be a special treat for Eileen and her brother, Denis. Charlotte Collyer, her husband and their daughter, Marjorie, were going to America. They also began their voyage at Southampton.

In the two extracts below, Eileen and Charlotte recall their voyage and the tragic event that took place.

Extract One: Eileen recalls-

1“We were going on holiday in France with my mother and Aunt Alice. We were all of us very bad sailors. Mother wanted the largest, safest, steadiest ship afloat. She chose the Titanic.

2We went in the morning to Southampton and we were absolutely staggered at how enormous theTitanic was because we had been used to the small cross channel boats. And, the beauty of her lines – she was absolutely lovely! Unbelievably lovely! I just remember the sight of her when we came on board. All the fittings were so beautiful, the glass and the china and the flowers. Everything was brand new.

3After we had lunch we were both very excited. It was only a four hour crossing and we wandered round the ship. I remember vaguely the enormous dining room and of course it was all very exciting for us because in those days children led a very nursery life. We didn’t have our meals with our parents. We had them in the school or the nursery and it was generally very plain food, milk puddings and rather dull things like that. So it was exciting to have this elaborate food.

4We had tea on board too. Because the Titanic could not dock at Cherbourg the tender* came out bringing on board Americans who had been touring in France and French people who were going to New York. It then took us ashore. I remember climbing into it and we watched the Titanic sail out.

5It was later, when we were in Paris that we heard about the sinking. It was a shock to think that the lovely ship had been lost. We didn’t realise at first that there had been any loss of life. We took it that they had been picked up and put into lifeboats. But then, gradually, it came out that there was a fearful loss of life.

6We said, ‘That can’t be the Titanic.’ But of course it was.”

*tender = a small boat

Extract Two: Charlotte recalls-

7“The Titanic was wonderful, far more splendid and huge than I had dreamed of. The other crafts in the harbour were like cockle shells beside her, and they were the boats of the American and other lines that a few years ago were thought enormous.

8I don’t remember very much about the first few days of the voyage from Cherbourg. I was a bit seasick and kept to my cabin most of the time. But, on Sunday April 14th, I was up and about. After I had eaten, I listened to the orchestra for a little while and about nine o’clock I went to my cabin. I had just climbed into my berth when a stewardess came in. She was a sweet woman who had been very kind to me. I take this opportunity to thank her for I shall never see her again. She went down with the Titanic.

9‘Do you know where we are?’ she said pleasantly. ‘We are in what is called the Devil’s Hole.’

10‘What does that mean?’ I asked.

11‘It is a dangerous part of the ocean, she answered. ‘They say that icebergs drift down as far as this. It’s very cold on deck so perhaps there is ice around us now.’

12She left the cabin and I dropped off to sleep. Her talk about icebergs had not frightened me, but it showed that the crew was awake to the danger. As far as I can tell we had not slackened our speed in the least. At about ten o’clock my husband came in and woke me up. We talked for a short time, I think. And then crash!

13I have no idea of the passage of the time during that awful night. We women were standing on the deck beside our husbands. There was no confusion. Then came the terrible cry, ‘Lower the boats!’ Then, ‘Women and children first!’ over and over again. ‘Women and children first!’ ‘Women and children first!’ These words struck terror into my heart and they will ring in my ears until the day I die.

14Marjorie and I were on the first lifeboat. All my memories are hazy until the rescue ship, the Carpathia, arrived at dawn. She stopped maybe four miles away from us and the task of rowing over to her was extremely hard for the poor frozen men. At last we stood on the deck of the Carpathia, about 670 of us. The scene that followed is too bitter to recall. I had a husband to search for among the crowds.

15I searched. He was not there.”

From Titanic Voices – Memories from the Fateful Voyage, edited by: Donald Hyslop

Alastair Forsyth, Sheila Jemima

SECTION A

This section tests your understanding of the main ideas and details from the passage.

Read the sentences below. Put a tick ( ) in the box to show if each sentence is TRUE or FALSE or you CAN’T TELL from the information in the passage.

TRUE / FALSE / CAN’T
TELL
  1. The tragedy happened on the 14th April 1912.

  1. Eileen spoke to Charlotte on the journey from England to France.

  1. At first Eileen thought that all the passengers on the Titanic had survived.

  1. Charlotte’s memories of the first few days of the voyage from France were clear.

  1. The crew of the Titanic knew that sailing in the devil’s Hole was dangerous.

  1. There were men in some of the lifeboats.

SECTION B

In this section you are asked to use inference, deduction and interpretive skills.

The statements below are all memories from passengers on the Titanic.

Decide:

  • which could be Eileen’s memories.
  • which could be Charlotte’s memories.
  • which can only be memories of other people.

Tick ( ) one.

The first one has been done for you*.

Eileen / Charlotte / Other people
*Our party of four stood together on the deck and watched the tender approach. / 
  1. From the deck I watched the third lifeboat being lowered. I hoped I would be on the next one. I was.

  1. My Mother said, to calm us both down, “sit down and write letters. We will post them when we arrive in France.”

  1. I was standing up to my knees in water. I jumped on to the rail and dived into the water.

  1. After we were safely home, my husband told me that our daughter and I had been very brave but I recall being very, very afraid.

  1. I caught up little daughter, Marjorie, just as she was in her nightdress and started out the door

  1. I was glad we had only gone to France,otherwise all four of us may have perished.

Section C

This section tests your knowledge of vocabulary.

  1. Read Extract One ( Eileen’s Memories). Write the word from the passage that means:

(a) Most likely not to roll or sway (Paragraph 1)

(b)Amazed (Paragraph 1)

(c)Terrible (Paragraph 5 )

2Read Extract Two (Charlotte’s memories) Write the phrase from the passage that means:

(a) slowed down (Paragraph 12)

(b)painful to remember (Paragraph 14)

Section D

This section tests your understanding of details from the passage.

  1. Read Paragraphs 9-12

(a)What was dangerous about the area of ocean called the Devil’s Hole?

(b)Charlotte recalls that “We had not slackened our speed”

Why is this surprising?

  1. Read Paragraphs 13-14

Why were the men on board the lifeboats with the women and children?

Section E

This section tests your understanding of knowledge about language and genre.

There are three correct pieces of information below. Underline the three correct statements.

  1. There is dialogue in the extracts
  2. Eileen and Charlotte are fictional characters
  3. Bold type is used to indicate the names of ships.
  4. The extracts include both fact and opinion
  5. The relationship between Eileen and Charlotte is brought out in the extract.
  6. The theme of loss emphasised at the end of both extract

[END OF QUESTIONS]