A Girl Aboard the Titanic: The Remarkable Memoir of Eva Hart, a 7-year-old Survivor of the Titanic Disaster

by Eva Hart, R. Denney

'I was 7, I had never seen a ship before...it looked very big...everybody was very excited, we went down to the cabin and that's when my mother said to my father that she had made up her mind quite firmly that she would not go to bed in that ship, she would sit up at night...she decided that she wouldn't go to bed at night, and she didn't!' This is the amazing story of how Eva survived the sinking of the Titanic, how her father perished and the affect it had on her life following the tragedy. The events of a few hours in her childhood remained with her so vividly throughout her life that it took Eva nearly forty years before she could talk openly about the tragedy. A Girl Aboard the Titanic is the only child eyewitness description we have of most famous maritime disaster.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2012

Reviews

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was extremely moving to read Eva's account of her time on the titanic, in particular the loss of her wonderful father. She writes with grace and ease, and it was fascinating to hear an account that was so similar to others, yet so completely unique. Her mother had a strange premonition before boarding the ship that distressed her to such an extent that she refused to sleep during the night, preferring to sleep at daytime. She said over and over again that the ship would never reach its destination. On the night of the sinking, she was once again awake, and therefore felt the light bump of the ice hitting the ship immediately. Because of being awake and focused, she could get Eva and her husband down to the lifeboats promptly, when many other people were still asleep and hadn't felt anything. Doing this saved Eva's life (although sadly her husband Benjamin was lost). One thing in particular that brought tears to my eyes was Eva hearing Wallace Hartley and his band playing "Nearer my god to thee" as she was put into a lifeboat. This piece of history has been heavily scrutinised over the years, many people believing it was just a myth created to bring even more compassion to the passengers. However, it has been confirmed by Eva, and that is all I need. It was interesting to note as well, that the "unsinkable titanic" advertisement was actually false according to Eva, in as much that the builders of the titanic knew it would sink if it had any sort of accident, but it would be unsinkable if it wasn't damaged - that's like saying a ruler is shatterproof as long as you don't shatter it...
There was a large portion of the book about Eva's later life and subsequent meeting of many other survivors which was interesting, but I think it would've been better for the account to have been focussed for a longer time on the ship.

[Amber Araneae · Rating 2 out of 5]

About 45% of this book was about the Titanic and Eva's experience with the tragedy. The other 55% of the book is about her personal life, jobs held, politics, and travel post the disaster that had nothing to do with the Titanic. For a book titled "A Girl Aboard the Titanic" I hoped for more content relating to the Titanic...the chapters post the tragedy itself were long and very boring to read.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Ms. Hart's account of her experiences on the Titanic - and the aftermath - to be very interesting. Yes, she talks a lot about her life after the sinking, but perhaps that is a reminder that every single person on the Titanic had an identity outside their association with the ship, and that the survivors often carried significant trauma that lasted a lifetime. In Ms. Hart's case, she was old enough to remember the tragedy vividly. Her description of sitting in the lifeboat, listening to those in the water screaming as they died, was chilling. She went on to do some interesting things in life, such as being a magistrate.

If you're expecting something with the entertainment value of a novel or dramatic film about the Titanic, you may be disappointed by this book. If you're expecting a solid witness account by a Titanic survivor about their experiences, you will get that. I'm glad that Ms. Hart was willing to share and document her story.

[Brenda · Rating 1 out of 5]

So... the author doesn't really know how to write. Eva Hart was 7 years old when the Titanic sank. While the book is titled "A Girl Aboard the Titanic", most of it is not really about the Titanic... It is about Eva's life... Reading this novel was like listening an old woman talk. Listening a monologue is not bad... but it is not precisely literature... Plot, character description, you don't have any of that in a regular chat. You don't have that in this book either.

I found it funny that the author manages to use the word "Titanic" in every chapter, even if it is a rather unrelated reference...

So... yeah... I don't think I will be reading this again... ever.

[Alex Cotterill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came into this book with a decent amount of knowledge about the 3 Olympic class ships.

I would liked to have given this 4 stars; due to the way it was written, the detail in the Titanic related sections and the inclusion of photos and diagrams.

Eva did very well when narrating about the journey before the starboard side struck the iceberg and even the sinking itself was very well noted - the noises and sights she witnessed and also she talked about the personal side of it on particular individuals. I’m glad she included the break up section of bow and stern because contemporary to her time of childhood, it was believed that Titanic sank as one piece.

Side note - Well done to the Carpathia and screw the Californian for neglect!!

Surprised she didn’t note about the implosion of the stern a few moments after it had disappeared beneath the Atlantic.

However, what prevented this receiving any higher than 3 stars was because a fair chunk of this book wasn’t related to Titanic at all. Although some of the lawyer and education comparison episodes were particularly humorous with how she worded it!!

It was good to read about her life after 1912 but to me, the focus should’ve remained on Titanic.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really in depth description of the whole disaster, and ironically enough; her mother had such a strong premonition, they’d never make it! She selflessly stayed up every night expecting the worst, and that’s exactly what transpired! Because of her sleeplessness, they’d never make were obviously saved! Later, it turns into more of an autobiography of her later years. I enjoyed the 1st hand accounting of the story though!

[Gok · Rating 4 out of 5]

To read Eva Hart’s experience on board the Titanic, and then the sinking was moving. But living just a stone through away, from where she eventually lived when returning back to England, and she explains the area in such detail and tells of the history, also had me gripped! The local pub is named after her, and I will raise a glass to Eva next time I visit!

If you’re looking for a book solely about the Titanic probably not for you, as after the chapters regarding the Titanic, it’s about Eva’s life following the disaster. But if you’re interested to find out how a survivor of such a tragedy carried on about their life, then you will enjoy!

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those looking for a book based solely on the Titanic this is not the book for you. However if you are looking for a fascinating memoir of a woman who lived through most of the 20th century than this is your book. The actual sinking of the ship takes up very little of the book not surprising since Eva Hart was just seven when the ship went down and the actual life and voyage of Titanic was not that long either. Instead the book tells the life of Eva Hart. It begins with her childhood, a relatively comfortable and very happy existence. The only child of parents who had her later in life, her mother who was in a previous abusive marriage suffered numerous miscarriages and was put off the idea of another marriage until she met Ben Hart. Eva's father was planning to join a friend in Winnipeg here in Canada to help build that city along with a good friend. So they make plans to sail to North America. As is well known Eva's mother Esther thought the claim of Titanic being unsinkable was flying in the face of God and felt uneasy at the very thought of sailing on her. She refused to sleep at night during the voyage and slept during the day and kept vigil at night to the bemusement of her fellow passengers. So Eva spent the majority of the voyage with her father and recalls many happy memories of her time with him and of a friend she met on board, and also of a large teddy bear that sadly went down with the ship. Surprising to me was that the day before the sinking Esther heard ice hitting the ship. This was not widely reported. The account of the actual sinking is heartbreaking and is told by both Eva and her mother who shared her story after the sinking with a local paper. The night obviously remains vivid to Eva after all this time and you can feel the heartbreak as she describes the sounds of the ship going down, the screams of the dying, and the fear of Eva when separated from her mother when they transferred survivors from one boat to another. Following the sinking Eva and her mother returned to England and tried to get on with their lives. Eva began a lifelong love of music playing and teaching piano and singing. When her mother died in 1928 she traveled to Singapore and Australia and launched a singing career before returning to England and taking up her life's work as a welfare officer at an engineering firm. During the Second World War Eva entertained troops with her singing and tells of some of her adventures during this time. Following the war she takes on volunteer work as a Justice of the Peace. It wasn't until several years after the sinking that Eva finally faced her past and what happened that cold April night even though it is obvious that the memories of this night have stayed ingrained in her mind forever. While a fascinating read about a remarkable woman, there were several typos and spelling errors, and Eva did tend to go off on rambling tangents at various points and the story didn't follow chronological order and jumped around in time which got confusing, but these were fairly minor complaints about this enjoyable historical memoir.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book would be all about the Titanic but it was not the case and quite rightly so. Eva wasn't just a survivor of the most famous shipping disaster of peaceful times, she dedicated her life to various projects both paid and voluntary with time spent first travelling to see family in Singapore and Australia.

No delaying of travelling by sea to those destinations, yes they worried her but she faced her fears.

What a remarkable woman who didnt let her circumstances get her down. Good for her.

She even gave interviews for people and networks wanting to do documentaries about the Titanic and its survivors, some fruitful and some wasteful.

Quite rightly she wanted to stay away from exhibitions about the Titanic. She certainly put across that the reason so many of loss of life was due to the lack of lifeboats.

Titanic set the way for safety onboard ships for the future generations

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't found very many books by survivors of the sinking of the Titanic, but I found this one somewhere and had to buy it. I cannot imagine how horrifying this event must have been. Being on a sinking ship is bad enough, but being a child and losing a parent and watching other people freeze to death and drown must have been absolutely horrible.

[Rhoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

The parts of the book dealing specifically with the Titanic were very insightful and interesting to me. The rest of her life story were not interesting to me. Sorry Eva.

[Laura Jelenkovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book, a must read for Titanic lovers. Eva Hart was an great woman with a full life. Her story must not be forgotten.

[Booka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Książka "A Girl Aboard the Titanic (...)" nie jest zwyczajną biografią. Są to spisane w autobiograficznej formie wspomnienia Evy Hart, jednej z pasażerek ocalałych z katastrofy Titanica, która będąc wówczas siedmioletnią dziewczynką, podróżowała tym transatlantykiem drugą klasą. Wraz z rodzicami zmierzali do Kanady, aby rozpocząć nowe życie, gdyż ojciec dziewczynki, właśnie w Kanadzie postanowił rozpocząć nowy biznes, aby zapewnić rodzinie byt.

Eva Hart sięga pamięcią do wczesnych lat dzieciństwa, Wspomina rodziców, gorzej prosperujące interesy ojca, jego postanowienie aby wraz z kolegą rozpocząć intratny biznes z dala od Europy. Wspomina swoje podekscytowanie podróżą statkiem oraz pełną obaw matkę, która od samego początku obawiała się podróży, wyrokując, iż ma w związku z tym rejsem złe przeczucia. Pośród wspomnień z pobytu na statku Eva opowiada oczywiście o pierwszych chwilach tuż po zderzeniu z górą lodową, relacjonuje jak wyglądała akcja ratunkowa, widok tonącego statku z perspektywy szalupy oraz przypłynięcie Carpathii, ocalenie z katastrofy u późniejsze życie po tragedii Titanica.

Nietrudno domyślić się, co takiego wyróżnia tę książkę na tle innych, traktujących o tym samym temacie. Fakt, iż są to wspomnienia osoby ocalałej z katastrofy, a nie kolejny reportaż podający suche informacje. Książkę czyta się niczym powieść. Zupełnie jakby przeżywało się tą historię na nowo, śledząc losy już nie tak "znane" nam z fikcyjnej historii Jamesa Camerona, lecz opartej na rzeczywistych wydarzeniach małej, przerażonej dziewczynki, która straciła ojca oraz historii jej matki, która tamtej nocy właśnie miała stać się wdową. To, co najbardziej uderza czytelnika, zwłaszcza kiedy zna on tę historię z innych książek o charakterze reportażu, to fakt, iż może on skonfrontować wszystkie dotychczas znane informacje z realną opowieścią Evy Hart. Przeżyć wydarzenia oczami tej siedmioletniej dziewczynki, nieomal poczuć to, co ona czuła wsiadając razem z matką do szalupy, żegnając się z ojcem, nie wiedząc jeszcze, że już nigdy więcej go nie zobaczy i patrząc jak gigantyczny (uznawany dotąd za niezatapialny) statek, znika pod wodą.

Dziś, najprawdopodobniej nie ma już z nami ocalałych z tej katastrofy. Tak, jak sam wrak Titanica powoli ulega degradacji, tak pomału wykruszają się Ci, którzy pamiętają - już nie tyle samą katastrofę, co rodziców, którzy opowiadali im wydarzenia tamtej pamiętnej nocy. Tym bardziej należy się wdzięczność tym ludziom - za ich siłę, na jaką się zdobyli, aby powrócić pamięcią do tamtych tragicznych chwil, żeby opowiedzieć wszystko następnym pokoleniom.

Jeśli chodzi o minusy: sporo miejsca w tej historii poświęcone jest życiu zawodowemu Evy Hart, które przypadały na okres przed II wojną światową i po niej. Według mnie jest tego trochę za dużo, a z całego rozdziału traktującego o tym, uznaję za najbardziej istotny dla tej historii fragment, w którym Eva opowiada jaki wpływ na jej życie zawodowe miała trauma związana z katastrofą Titanica oraz uhonorowanie Evy medalem za zasługi w pomocy potrzebującym ludziom, który otrzymała z rąk Królowej. Tych istotnych rzeczy nie jest tutaj dużo. Więcej poświęcono karierze Evy Hart jako konsultantki do spraw opieki społecznej i na przykład rozważaniom na temat więźniów, czy rozwiązywaniu spraw ludzi, którzy znaleźli się w trudnej sytuacji. Dla mnie cały przedostatni rozdział ("It's a Hard Bench"), mógłby nie istnieć, gdyż nic nie wnosi do historii, a te najważniejsze informacje w nim zawarte, można było wspomnieć na kilku stronach, zamiast rozpisywać się na kilkadziesiąt stron.

Poza wspomnieniami Evy, książka zawiera też dwa dodatki. Jeden w postaci rozdziału będącego zapisem relacji z akcji ratowniczej szalupy numer czternaście. Drugim dodatkiem jest niedługi rozdział, w którym krótko opisano losy trzech liniowców White Star Line: Titanica, Olympica i Britannica oraz porównano do siebie ich wymiary.

Myślę, iż żadna wymyślona historia oparta na wydarzeniach z nocy 14/15 kwietnia 1912 roku, czy to filmowa, czy w formie fikcyjnej powieści (jak na przykład "Miłość silniejsza niż śmierć" Danielle Steel), nie jest, tak naprawdę, w stanie oddać nam tego specyficznego realizmu tej opowieści, jak mogą tego dokonać właśnie historie opowiedziane przez tych, którzy przeżyli i na własnej skórze doświadczyli całego wachlarza związanych z tą katastrofą emocji. Od zaskoczenia w związku z kolizją statku, uświadomienia sobie, że "Niezatapialny" - w istocie - zatonie, przez strach, przerażenie, niepewność i zagubienie, po nadzieję: najpierw na nadejście pomocy, potem na powrót do normalnego życia.

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[Sir Robbiethehoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eva Hart was aged 7 when along with her parents she boarded the Titanic as it made its maiden voyage.

This story quickly details Eva’s childhood life as her family decide to leave the United Kingdom and make for Canada.
The events surrounding one of the most famous maritime disasters in history as witnessed by a seven year old Eva are given.
And the book documents Eva’s life after the Titanic incident.

Being familiar with the Titanic tragedy, knowing what was going to unfold, knowing certain doom inevitable was rather sad.

The book gives interesting snippets into other aspects of history; Eva mentions travelling in horse and trap and the introduction of motor cars and describes the infancy of cities as they grow; Winnipeg, where her father was to help in constructing the city, Australia developing as a country and her part of London growing and expanding, from a rural to an industrial landscape.

Having survived the Titanic sinking and losing her father in the tragedy, enduring World War 1, dealing with the lose of her mother in 1928 and playing an active, useful role in World War 2, I give credit to Eva for her approach to life and the style and grace in which she led her life. Eva is someone who lived a highly interesting life.

A straightforward, easy and engaging read. Be aware 45% of the book documents Titanic experiences whereas the rest details her life post Titanic disaster.
Really enjoyed this book and would happily recommend.

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book, The Girl aboard the Titanic was such an amazing read. This book not only goes through the traumatic events of what it was like to be aboard the great Titanic in it's finally hours as it sunk in the North Atlantic Ocean but also takes you on a journey with young Eva Hart and how she personally survived that dreadful night. She also has to face many hard realities as the disastrously tragedy claimed the life of her poor father. The book also goes through a few memories of her childhood on the boat and how it had such a huge impact on Eva and her life going forward. Her painful memories of being bundled into a lifeboat and of watching the unsinkable ship fall to the cold ocean floor, a while it had taken her nearly forty years before she discussed the tragedy. This book is said to be the only eyewitness description recorded from a child of this famous disaster. I think that we as teacher could defiantly use this book in many lessons in class. This book in particular, children and students will be able to connect to and with as the book is sense and described through a child's eye and mind.

[Elise Mandereau · Rating 2 out of 5]

C'était très décevant !
Malgré ce qui est annoncé, ce livre ne parle pas vraiment de l'histoire d'Eva sur le Titanic, mais principalement de toute sa vie d'adulte après le naufrage.
Certains chapitres sont très longs, peu fascinants et je n'ai pas du tout accroché au style, alors que j'aime bien les biographies normalement. J'ai parfois eu l'impression d'écouter une personne âgée divaguer sur ses souvenirs de jeunesse. Ce n'est pas inintéressant, mais pas forcément ce que j'avais envie qu'on me raconte. Eva était sans aucun doute une femme incroyable, mais la mise en avant de sa générosité et son parcours professionnel n'était pas du tout ce que j'attendais de ce livre.
J'ai vraiment aimé ce qui touchait effectivement au Titanic et au témoignage d'une enfant de 7 ans ayant vécu la tragédie. Beaucoup moins le récit des décénies suivantes.

[Hjörtur Smárason · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can divide this book into two parts, the story of the little girl who boarded the Titanic and her experience of the disaster and her survival, which is a gripping story and very interesting.

The other part is her life story, and while she does seem to have lived an interesting life, the retelling of it is rather superficial. Her overcoming her fear of sailing and going all the way to Australia is an interesting part but she could have gone into more details about her singing career during the second world war, which must have been quite interesting as well. The appendix adds more perspectives to her rescue which is a good way to end the book and bring it back to the main draw of the story.

It is a relatively quick read and absolutely worth the time if you want to get a new perspective on the Titanic Disaster.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating to hear her first hand account of the tragedy. I found this part of the book the most gripping. As i am a completionist I felt compelled to finish. At times it was work staying with the descriptions of her varied work and community involvement. I’m glad I did. It’s been wonderful to get a better sense of her adult life and life in England in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.


I appreciated her strong convictions. You go Eva! She didn’t let this tragic accident take hold and prevent her from living as full of a life as possible. Can’t we all take lessons from that-especially when so few have such tragedy.

And her thoughts near the end about being an old fogey (her words!!) were inspiring. I can only hope to have such a rich and full life.

[Erin Christiansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Eva sounds like she was an incredible person. Her account of what really happened on board and of the night the Titantic sank was so sad and terrifying. No wonder it haunted her all her years and she had trouble speaking of it and nightmares. Heartbreaking. I have always been interested in the history of RMS Titantic and find myself watching documentaries, watching movies, and reading books about it this time of year. My family and I visited a Titantic museum last summer and my daughter was given Eva Hart's person card for throughout the museum. We were pleased to know at the end of the tour she had survived and that is when we learned about this book. I was surprised the gift shop didn't sell copies but glad I got my hands on one and read more about her life.

[Tiffany Johnstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very honest account of the disaster seen through a 7 year old's eyes. Eva Loved her dad very very much. Her mum was very hesitant to go onboard the Titanic out of fear. You can visualise her account of what happened and actually picture what it must have been like for them. Although horrifying for obvious reasons. Her account of it gives people an understanding of what it was like for crew and passengers alike.

[Lucinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A memoir of a 7 year old girl who was onboard the Titanic.

The book starts off with the reasons and the whys she was onboard and leads up to the horrible turn of events. From there on the book describes her life after only mentioning what happened.

While it is such a sad story for those survivors and those lost I did feel there could have been more to this book and just found the chapters after the disaster were neither here nor there.

[Rosalind Legge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great … the bit relating to the titanic was fairly interesting but poorly written but the rest of the book was just a monologue of various jobs she had had. The so called effect of the disaster on her life consisted of her adding the words because of the titanic to events/feelings that could happen to anyone.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Hart’s autobiography is definitely worth a read, not just for her memories of TITANIC (which were wonderful) but to learn about her life in the 84 years that followed. While much of the latter part was told out of order, it was interesting to learn the experiences of a working woman in 1930s to 1970s England. It was if I were in the room as she recited her life story.

[Rebecca Alford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book. I picked this up when I was at the Museum in Belfast. It provided information with regards to the disaster but most interestingly it continued through out Eva's life and how she went from tragedy to live out her life very successfully. I enjoyed the read.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved all of the Titanic insight, extremely interesting to read. I did see reviews complain about the segments about her life post Titanic, and I do agree she droned on a bit too much about irrelevant things such as her political views and whatnot, but it’s her autobiography so she can do what she wants, and I’m glad I read it!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of Eva Hart's life, not a focus on the titanic but it is there. includes private photos, stories of her parents, titanic, obsession with French bulldogs from when she played with one on the ship, her life as an entertainer and during the war.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

After visiting the Titanic Museum, this book by a survivor as well as the pictures were so interesting to me, that was the 1st half of the book. The last half was just her life story, which I mostly skimmed thru.

[Carol-Ann Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the subject matter, this was a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable look at a Titanic survivors life post the disaster. Eva Hart was honest about the personal challenges she faced but not self pitying and she was determined to make a difference. Definitely not a book to be missed

[Lawrence Molloy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ran out of steam after first few chapters. I've read it , that all I can say.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first few chapters were great and about her experience on the Titanic. The pictures were also very informative and interesting. However, everything after the pictures was pretty dull.