My name is Virginia Edith Ruth Brown, but as I tell my tale you will learn how I became known as Ginny for short. On the 12th of April 1912 I left home with my Great Aunt as my mother clamed “ it’s for the best your Aunt can give you far more than I can! ” After kissing my mother I waved goodbye not knowing if I would see her again as I was of to start a new life with my Great Aunt in New York.
As we arrived in Southampton all I remember seeing was the most magnificent sight I had ever been able to set my eyes on . The ship was enormous and the crowds were huge and as I didn’t remember seeing a crowed so big, I wasn’t so sure if my stern grey crystal eyes could withstand the sight. Once handing over are belongings, I remember turning to look once more before stepping inside the Titanic before my Great Aunt shouted for me to hurry along, even though I was wearing one of my new uncomfortable dresses and a great big pink hat to go with my outfit and high shoes. “ One of the must have niceties for a first – class passenger” my aunt would go on as she had hand picked a whole new wardrobe for me before we came away. Once inside I ran out onto the deck along with the other 300 1st class passengers waving at who ever would wave back, before the ship set sail. My Aunt and me were to share a suite made up of two “ sides”, each hosting its own bedroom, wardrobe-room, bathroom, water-closet, living-room and individual entrances all linked by a shared sitting room and a glassed-in veranda looking out over the sea.
The room was also complete with electric heating and wood-fire chimney, and of course … privet kitchen and servants quarters. Where my part maid part nanny would stay named Jodie Mildred Harold. As my Aunt and I made a decision on what side of the suite we wanted my Aunt Louis 16th and I Louis 15th interior, also the range of furniture was just great.
I remember asking a passing maid how many different types of tables and chairs there were only for her to reply saying that “ there are fifty types of tables and thirty kinds of chairs … the interior decoration has been perfected to the most minute detail! Enjoy your stay” and with that she was gone. Every thing seemed to be looking up apart from the fact that I was now left to my own devises as my Great Aunt had went to “ chit chat” to some of the other well-off millionaires like her. Not that she had earned any of it; my Great Uncle Mr Franck George Hainsman had passed away three years ago leaving his dearly beloved wife Mrs Mary Hannah Hainsman my Great Aunt with his millions.
So there I found myself deciding to go for a wander my self. As I walked thorough the the 1st class decks, as my Aunt had forbid me going on any other deck, there I passed the Gymnasium and people using the electric camel and elephant, Turkish bath were three rather large women were proceeding to go in. The Swimming pool and the Racquetball court, Dinning saloon and the Restaurant, complete with its beautiful crystal chandeliers. Then I passed the luxurious Lounges were many people were relaxing, the Cafi?? Parisian the trendy cafi?? on board were people were meeting and socialising. There was the Barber’s shop were a bold man was getting a shave and the dark room for the photographers, this was all very well but being on your own at 16 is no fun and I have yet to see any normal people my age and the ones I have are all ready seen they were snobby looking and kept giving me funny looks, I am not that bad looking am I? I no red curly hair isn’t everyone’s “ cup of tea” and my grey stern icy crystal looking eyes or a bit plain but, I mean I knew this was first class but surely they weren’t all snobby and “ stuck-up”. By the time I had started to make my way back I realised just how late it was, but when coming through the door of my suite I did not expect Jodie standing there waiting saying “ strip-off, were have you been there is only two hours till dinning you need washed, dressed and prepared as tonight will be amazing! So in the bath with you scrub, scrub, scrub”.
As Jodie hurried me along into the bath out of the bath, did my hair and dress me by 9: 00. That when I looked into the mirror I nearly fell flat on my back, I looked amazing, I had a beautiful cream gown on, my hair was in perfect small ringlets with a big cream bow in it the same as my gown and my ringlets were lose so I had bits up and down, and Jodie had placed the minute’s amount of make-up on me just to make my cheeks stand out “ well give me a twirl” whispered Jodie into my ear. After that I remember hugging and kissing her for what she had achieved, before my Great Aunt came in to take me down to dinner. To get down my Aunt said that we would have to walk down the most magnificent piece of di?? cor on the whole boat.
As we walked down I could see that the vessels masterpiece was the candelabra with its twenty-one branches that soars over the monumental Grand staircase that connected the first-class decks. The staircase was carved and decorated and covered by a huge glass dome that the candelabrum was hanging floating above a splendid bronze angel stood at the bottom of the staircase. Walking down that staircase I remember feeling like I had just stepped out of Cinderella, walking arm an arm with my Aunt down to the restaurant. Stepping into the restaurant was just as amazing, I remember thinking Jodie was right about what she had said it is amazing, with the silver ware and fine china surrounded by fantastic light fittings that must have been worth a fortune they made you feel like royalty or the next best thing.
During the meal I remember lifting my eyes to look around at the other people eating when my eyes met the most amazing other eyes, emeralds as deep as the deepest oceans that made you feel that you were drowning in them. They belong to a boy properly 16 the same as me he had thick dark hair that covered most of his head and more, just as I was drowning even deeper into that eye my Aunt started snapping her fingers at me. Turning to to see what she wanted ” Virginia Edith Ruth Brown keep your eyes to yourself please! Before turning my eyes back to my meal only to feel as if someone else’s eyes were bearing into me, so as I lifted my eyes to see whom it was I found them drowning again in those same eyes I had been starring at, so all through the meal me and the boy with the emerald eyes were sending little stares back and forth across the room were he sat with what looked like his rich parents. Just before the meal was about to finish I remembered seeing him mouth “ top deck 15 minutes” and then he left.
So ten minutes later I excused myself from my Aunt and the pure luxury and sumptuous splendour to stand on the top deck. As I stepped out onto the deck I felt a shiver run down my spine, as I felt the chill of the night sea air hit me. Once on deck I turned to see the boy standing just to the right of the entrance I had come out of facing out towards the sea and the stars. As I was walking over it made me feel so nervous of what he would say or do. Once I reached him I turned not to look at him but at the sea too, as he hadn’t made any attempt to face me.
“ The names Johnson, Daniel Frederick Johnson” said the boy “ you” startling me at first. As I replied saying “ Brown, Virginia Edith Ruth Brown” then Daniel as I now knew him by turned to me “ that’s a long name you know may I call u Ginny and I am Dan for short none of that nonsense over big long names you don’t mind do you? ” before I said “ no Dan not at all” then we both started laughing “ you have lovely hair you no and an amazing smile” said Dan turning again to look out over the sea. ” Yes but you have the most beautiful eyes iv ever seen in my life just looking at them makes me feel like I am drowning”. With that he turn back to face me before taking my face in his hands and placing his lips on my lips, so there I was miles out to sea sharing my first kiss with a boy I had met moment ago. It was amazing though the best thing I have experienced.
After that we sat down on one of the seats behind us and kissed some more while finding out things about each other and still each kiss felt as good as the first. So the next day Dan and me explored the ship from early till late and shared kisses now and then stares at dinner I could never remember feeling so happy. Even after dinner we would go to the place we shared our first kiss and watch the stars and feel the sea air in our lungs, never did we imagine that three days later at that very spot we would hit an ice-burg. The 14th of April came and like the night we met we were standing on the left side of the ship, letting the silver moonlight run down over us like milky rain.
It was a cool wet night and the air around us smelt like mint, dirt and rosemary, thanks to the hanging baskets full of herbs on deck. I was dressed in a forget-me-not blue satin dress and Dan a smart tusk and there we stood just holding each other. It was around 11: 35pm or later maybe 11: 40pm when we both felt the boat shudder as if it had hit something, then came the deafening sound of metal ripping and tearing. Then we heard another noise added to the ripping and tearing a siren.
That was when we realised something was wrong and so we ran around to the other side, there we found ice lying scattered on the deck at the front and a massive ice-burg to the right. We could see the crew members and captain looking out over to see what damage had been done in all the commotion we hadn’t realised how silent it had gone the engine had also stopped along with the ripping, tearing and the siren. This was way bad, way bad then we first thought and all I could think was I have to tell my Aunt and Jodie I must warn then before its to late and with that I ran with Dan following me shouting “ wait, wait! ” Once reaching my Aunt and Jodie I found them in the corridor out side our suite standing talking to a member of the crew handing them life jackets out and as we approached we had life jackets giving to us as well before he turned saying “ life jackets please only for precaution” while turning to me “ and dress warm miss it’s a cold night” before moving along to the next suite to us. With that Jodie ran in grabbing coats for us all even hers an Dan with out waiting to find out whom he was guess that after the tales I had told her of our experiences she must have knew it was him. Once dressed we followed the other passengers to the main dinning salon were we gathered in our lifejackets and coats.
There were men sipping brandy and women chatting and laughing, we waited not even five minuets before going on deck were the first lifeboats were being hoisted, on our way up we met Dan’s Farther and Mother in their life jackets and coats, they too were going up to the lifeboats. Dan’s Mother hugged him saying she had been worried were he had been before Dan introduced us to her. Now safely on deck a man was shouting “ women and children only! ” I remember Dan looking towards his father pleading for him to come; I could see it in his eyes even if no on else could. Then the band started playing the tune wedding dance I remember, as it was one of my favourite tunes and that was played as we boarded the lifeboat along with other women, boys and girls.
Jodie and my Aunt sat with Dan’s Mother and two other women in the corner as the had no children to hold the other women had screaming children clinging to them or sitting nearby, while Dan and me sat together with a blanket over us that was in the boat along with the other children who had picked up blankets then the three crew members began to row away from the ship. You could see the ship sinking more clearly the further we got away from it and a horrifying noise went up around us. Our boat was quite full but four or five more could have been able to get on there didn’t look like there was enough boats for everyone on the ship but I had hope. Then we heard bang’s and looked up to see an amazing display of fireworks, we could no longer her the band playing and apart from the loud bangs of the fireworks and the whoop and weeps from back on the boat from people admiring the display there was just the ocean. Slowly the ship was sinking more and more and only half the ship could be seen and yet still there were people to get onto the boats, more lifeboats were appearing in the ocean along with the rest of us. It was growing darker and darker as the ships lights were disappearing under the sea you could hear people screaming as they got pushed and shoved around, it was a horrid and vile noise.
People were starting to jump into the water and gunshots were being fired. Soon there were no more fireworks going off and no boats left, people were hurrying to the back of the boat which was no under yet and rising with time before finally snapping and braking in half crashing back into the sea before rising again and plunging back into the deep ocean being pulled down by the front of the ship as it went. Screams went up and then came down till there was nothing but silence. After about 10 minuets many boats started going back that had less children in but because we had a lot of children we had a few more added from other boats to make room in them boats for survivors, then the other boats went for help. From our boat we could hear the whistling and shouting from the boats as the searched for saviours, but not much else I guessed not many were recovered from the water as there wasn’t a lot of movement from the sea, we had waited too long. I cant remember what time it was or how long we had waited before we could see lights from another ship, rockets were being set off.
That ship turned out to be the Capathria, that’s when we knew we would be safe. Soon we were lifted up onto the Capathria and taken care of, our names were taken before we docked in New York on the 18th. Dan and his Mother found out devastating news about his Farther, he was not found. They went on to live with us as they had no money to them selves there money haven been in his Fathers name. Later I married Dan and came to live a normal life in New York with our two children we had together. My Aunt was Able to live in luxury and in two years time I will be returning to England with my family to reunite with my Mother.