Eva Hart

Eva Miriam Hart (31 January 1905 – 14 February 1996) was an English Titanic survivor and one of the last remaining passengers to recall the sinking of RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912. She was seven years old at the time of the disaster, travelling as a second-class passenger with her parents, Benjamin and Esther Hart. Her father perished in the sinking while Eva and her mother survived.

Hart became a prominent voice in Titanic history, known for her vivid though often contradictory recollections and outspoken advocacy for maritime safety. She was awarded an MBE in 1974 for public and political service and remained active in public life until her death in 1996.

Early life

Eva Miriam Hart was born on 31 January 1905 in Ilford, Essex (now part of Greater London), England. Her parents were Benjamin Hart and his wife Esther Ada (née Bloomfield). Eva was their only child.

Esther had been previously married to George Hossack Arthur Brooke and had nine children from her first marriage, but none of them survived. Esther remarried to Benjamin Hart in 1900. Eva was educated at St. Mary's Convent (later St. Mary's Hare Park) in Gidea Park, London.

In early 1912, Benjamin decided his family would emigrate to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was influenced by his brother, who already lived there, and by economic recessions in England at that time, in his decision to emigrate.

Aboard Titanic Eva was seven years old when she and her parents boarded Titanic as second-class passengers on 10 April 1912. They had been booked on the SS Philadelphia, but a coal strike at Southampton that spring kept her from sailing and many of her passengers were transferred to Titanic. Eva's mother allegedly felt uneasy about Titanic and feared that some catastrophe would happen; the hubris of calling a ship unsinkable was, in her mind, flying in the face of God. With such fear, Eva's mother slept only during the day and stayed awake in their cabin at night fully dressed.

Eva was sleeping when Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm on 14 April. Her mother was awake at the time and felt "a slight bump". She immediately asked her husband to investigate the disturbance and he reluctantly left the cabin. Upon his return, he alerted her and Eva to the collision and, after wrapping Eva in a blanket, he carried her to the boat deck. Eva's father placed his wife and daughter in Lifeboat No. 14 and told her to "be a good girl and hold Mummy's hand". It was presented to her by the Duke of Kent during the Three-Day Week.

Commentary about the disaster Letter written by Eva and her mother Esther, to Eva's grandmother, on the night of the sinking. It was auctioned in April 2014 for the price of £119,000. It only survived because it had been placed in Benjamin Hart's jacket which was given to her to keep her warm. It is reported to be the last written communication from the RMS Titanic. Hart frequently criticised the White Star Line for failing to provide enough lifeboats for all aboard Titanic: "If a ship is torpedoed, that's war. If it strikes a rock in a storm, that's nature. But just to die because there weren't enough lifeboats, that's ridiculous."

Hart initially stated that she did see the ship sink but later changed her story, saying that the ship had broken in half, She was also adamant regarding the controversy surrounding SS Californian, a ship that was only a few miles from Titanic and yet failed to respond to distress rockets and calls for help. Hart claimed the vessel was less than from Titanic, not as was previously believed:

When salvaging efforts at the wreck site began in 1987, Hart was quick to note that Titanic was a gravesite and should be treated as such. She often decried the "insensitivity and greed" and labelled the salvagers "fortune hunters, vultures, pirates, and grave robbers." In Titanic: The Complete Story, she stated:

Hart remained active in Titanic-related activities well into her 80s. In 1982, she returned to the US and joined several other survivors at a Titanic Historical Society convention commemorating the 70th anniversary of the sinking. She participated in three more conventions in 1987, 1988, and in 1992. In 1994, she wrote an autobiography, Shadow of the Titanic – A Survivor's Story, in which she described her experiences aboard the ship and the lasting implications of its sinking. On 15 April 1995, the 83rd anniversary of the disaster, she and fellow second-class Titanic survivor Edith Brown dedicated a memorial garden plaque on the grounds of the National Maritime Museum in London.

In April 2012, an audio walking guide to Titanic memorials in Southampton was produced, featuring audio clips of Hart talking about her experience. The guide takes the listener on a walking route around Southampton, where Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage. Being seven years old at the time of the sinking, she maintained several vivid memories:

Death Hart died from cancer on 14 February 1996, at a hospice in London, at the age of 91. Her death left eight remaining survivors. In her memory, near to where she lived in Japan Road, is a pub called "The Eva Hart."

In popular culture Hart's connection to the Titanic and her active involvement in later years made her popular in numerous forms of media, including mentions in non-fiction books, museums and exhibitions. Several Titanic documentaries, including Titanica in 1995, feature interviews with Hart. Shadow of the Titanic, published by Chadwell Publishers in 1994, is the biography of Hart written by Professor Ronald C. Denney in collaboration with her. Various republications have been released since its first publication, with minor changes. Eva and Little Kitty on the Titanic, is a children's book published by Sidsel Media in 2012, based on Hart's account of the disaster. James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic features a scene where a father says to his daughter, "You hold Mummy's hand and be a good little girl"; this is a reference to Hart's father, Benjamin, who spoke similar words the night of the disaster, when she was put into a lifeboat. An interview with her was also included in a behind-the-scenes documentary about the 1997 film. Hart was portrayed by Tanya Cohen in the 1998 TV documentary Titanic: Secrets Revealed.

On 26 April 2014, a letter written by Esther on that fateful day was sold at an auction for the price of £119,000. It only survived because it had been placed in the husband's jacket, which was given to her to keep her warm. It is reported to be the last written communication from the RMS Titanic.