Alice Catherine Cleaver was a First Class passenger of the Titanic. She survived the sinking.
Biography[]
She was the daughter of Joseph Cleaver, a postman, and Lavinia Alice Thomas Cleaver. At the time of her birth, which was on July 5th, 1889, the family lived at 42 Marquis Road in Pancras, London.
While she was still in her teens, Alice started working as a nursemaid to fashionable English families. In 1911, she was working as a nurse maid in the Harley St. home of the Sargeant family.
She was later hired by Montreal millionaires, Hudson and Bess Allison, as a last minute replacement to look after their baby son, Trevor.
Titanic[]
She boarded the Titanic at Southampton in First Class under the Allison's ticket (No. 113781). Rumors were that she had killed her own baby and was in deep shock because of this, but this remains a mystery to this day. It appears that her identity was mistaken for that of a Alice Mary Cleaver, who was not on the Titanic (allthough appearing on some passenger lists) and had no connection with Alice Catherine Cleaver, other than the fact they were Christian and shared surnames. Alice Mary Cleaver was convicted of murder in 1909 for throwing her baby under a train.
Alice had already felt uneasy during the voyage, and it has been said she had prominitions. Those that still had mistaken her identity would say she had feelings of guilt and struggled with the murder of her baby.
After the collision on the night of April 14th, 1912; Alice was immediately in panic, and apparently bundled up the infant in her charge and went off to Second Class to round up the rest of the Allison household. The Allison pair however had faith in the ship and thought nothing much was wrong, but Alice was adamant that they were in danger and made this sudden move when they didn't want to listen to her.
A drawing of Alice Cleaver with a baby.
Alice boarded lifeboat 11. Bedroom Steward William Faulkner held baby Trevor while Alice got in. Although there is no firm evidence, it seems certain that the Allisons were unaware that Cleaver had taken the child off safely. However they missed their baby and were searching all over the place and taking their other child, their daughter Helen Loraine Allison with them. It appears that the couple were separated during the evacuation and just as Mrs. Bess Allison was ready to board, she was called by a passenger who said her husband was on the other side. This was not to be the truth however. Their trust in the unsinkable ship and the long search meant they were too late to find a lifeboat for them and their daughter, and all of them perished in the sinking. They realized too late that they could at least have their daughter taken to safety first.
So without knowing, Alice indirectly caused the death of the rest of the family.
The next day, Alice Cleaver and Sarah Daniels realized that they, along with Trevor and the cook - Mildred Brown, were the only survivors of their party.
When she arrived in New York with the child, Alice avoided talking to reporters by telling them her name was Jean.
After the sinking, she returned to England. On June 22nd, 1918, she married widower Edward James Williams (born 1891), a clerk who later became a surgical appliance manufacturer. They had two daughters. Although she reportedly never talked about the sinking, she is listed as a contributor to Walter Lord's research for A Night to Remember (as Mrs. A. C. Williams).
At the time of Alice's death on November 1st, 1984; she was the last surviving servant passenger of the Titanic.
Portrayals[]
A Night to Remember (1958)[]
A possible appearance of Alice Cooper in A Night to Remember (1958)
A possible appearance of Alice Cooper and Trevor Allison, onboard the Carpathia
Alice Cleaver makes a possible appearance in A Night to Remember (1958), portrayed by Diana Blackwood. She appears in lifeboat 6, sitting next to Margaret Brown, who gave her a fur shawl. As the Titanic goes down, she is seen staring in horror, holding a baby. Of course, Cleaver never met Molly, as Alice and Trevor escaped in lifeboat 11 in real life.
1996 Titanic Miniseries[]
Alice Cooper in Titanic 1996 Miniseries
Alice Cooper with Baby Trevor and Lorraine Allison in Titanic (1996)
Alice Cleaver was portrayed by Felicity Waterman. In this Miniseries, Cleaver was portrayed as an emotionally troubled young woman who suffers from a trauma as her baby died and her lover had run off. At night, she has premonitions of the disaster, who then sees the opportunity to rescue baby Trevor from the sinking ship as a saving grace from her tumultuous past. She escaped in lifeboat 7 which is the first boat, and this is even more incorrect, as it was launched more than an hour earlier than lifeboat 11.
When Carpathia releases the former Titanic denizens in New York, Alice is quickly surrounded by the Astor's maid, as well as police, who press her that she has to return the baby to a brother of mister Allison, which really is difficult for her to do. Then the reporters swarm her and they even want to make a heroine out of her. She nervously complies, telling a few half-truths about how the disaster went down.
2012 Titanic Miniseries[]
Alice Cooper in Titanic (2012) Miniseries
Alice Cooper in Titanic 2012 Miniseries
Alice Cleaver was portrayed by Izabella Urbanowicz. This Miniseries also portrayed her unfairly, and once again she is evacuated in the wrong boat, which in this case is lifeboat 8. Her character is rather bitter and also very closed, mistrusting everyone around her.
Sources[]
- "Lost child of the Titanic and the fraud that haunted her family". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-01-19. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
- ^ Hustak, Alan. "THE TITANIC; As least 32 passengers were bound for Montreal: [FINAL Edition]". The Gazette. ProQuest 432268914
- Rondeau, Rob (2012-04-16). Titanic Lives: On Board, Destination Canada. Formac Publishing Company Limited. ISBN 9781459500198
- "Alice Catherine Cooper : Titanic Survivor | Miss Alice Catherine Cooper". Encyclopedia Titanica. Retrieved 2017-03-28
- "The weather during the Titanic disaster: looking back 100 years". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-21
- Koldau, Linda Maria (2012-05-07). The Titanic on Film: Myth versus Truth. McFarland. ISBN 9780786490370
- https://timmaltin.com/2019/03/08/titanic-nursemaid-alice-cooper/#:~:text=But%20Alice%20Mary%20Cleaver%2C%20who,her%20baby%20under%20a%20train.