Amy Zillah Stanley
Amy Zillah Elsie Stanley was the only Titanic survivor of the English contingent in Third Class headed for Connecticut. In fact, had it not been for a coal strike, Amy would have not been on the Titanic.
Early life[]
Amy Zillah Elsie Stanley was born on 4 January 1888 in Barford Saintt Michael, Oxfordshire, England as the child of Thomas James Stanley and Eliza Agnes Margetts. Thomas was a grocer, wine merchant and innkeeper. She was baptised at the church in Barford St. Michael on March 16, 1888. Barford St. Michael or Great Barford is a village about 2 miles W.N.W. of Deddington situated on the river Swere. She was the only daughter in the family, having 3 elder and 2 younger brothers. The first was John Henry, born in 1883. After him came Harry Owen in 1886, followed by Willem S. in 1887. Amy's next siblings were Alfred, born in 1889, and Frederick Walter who was conceived in 1894.
Her father owned the family grocery shop on Green Road and Amy contributed to the business when growing up. They had products like butter, bacon and cheese. Later, she went to the nearby city of Oxford to be taught in the making of dresses. Next, she had several jobs as a maid and was no longer living at home.
Titanic[]
When Amy was in her early twenties in 1912, her doctor told her she needed to leave her home in Great Britain to a warmer climate. Amy’s destination was New Haven. Her friend Grace French lived there on Prospect Street. She was to be her nanny, so she booked a Second Class passage on a ship headed for America. But that trip got cancelled, so she boarded Titanic as a Third Class passenger instead. As an unmarried woman traveling alone, Amy was an oddity on the Titanic but she was excited about starting her new life. Amy's cabin mates were Elizabeth Dowdell and a child in her custody, Virginia Ethel Emanuel who was 11 years old.
Nearby was the cabin of Rhoda Mary Abbott and her sons. Rhoda usually had conversations with Amy.
On April 14, a pleasant voyage turned into a straight nightmare as the ship collided with an iceberg she couldn't avoid. At 11:40 P.M, Amy was in her cabin and took a coat to see what this could have been and a steward sent her back downstairs. Amy was not convinced this was okay, so she helped the nurse and the child with their clothes. The child was a bit stubborn and rather wanted to dress by herself. Having done that, the women went up on deck but they needed to be a few decks higher to acquire access to the lifeboats.
Fortunately for them, Amy had made friends with some sympathetic young men who were standing there and reached out. They were kind enough to give her and her compagnions a lift to get over the railing on a higher deck.
As the Titanic sank into the cold, Atlantic waters, Amy found herself standing on the deck as the lifeboat in front of her was filled to capacity. However, a young man who had a seat saw her there and without any pressure from other passengers, he leapt out and offered his spot to her. She got in, but as the launch began, she was a bit frightened when a man tried his luck and took a hop into the boat, narrowly missing her. A gunshot was heard soon after, which Stanley ascribed to an officer attempting to scare off other passengers to try a similar stunt. She survived in Collapsible C and was picked up by the Carpathia.
This rescue ship had sped to Titanic's aid but was too far away to reach her before she foundered. From 4:00 A.M, she started bringing the survivors in with their boats. On board, Stanley found Rhoda and looked after her while tidying her up, cleaning her hair. She also discovered to her relief that Mrs. Dowdell and Miss Emanuel were on the ship, seeing them made her ecstatic that they had made it off Titanic alive. The Carpathia meanwhile steamed to New York and arrived there on April 18. Amy was a guest of the Woman's League Hotel and given $200 by the American Red Cross as well as new clothes.
Later life[]
She later lived at 189 Center St. in West Haven. Amy demanded $500 for the loss of her belongings in the sinking. For physical injury, she felt that $1000 should be justifiable. In April 1913, she wrote a letter to the White Star Line.
Amy married Eugene Sheldon Tanner Sr. on November 1, 1918 in Brooklyn, NY. Through connections with the family she worked for in New Haven, Amy managed to get Eugene an early honorable discharge from the Navy so they could be married.
On July 22, 1921, in North Attleboro, MA, Amy gave birth to Alfred Stanley Tanner Sr. (died 30 September 1993 in Warwick, R.I). A second son, Eugene Sheldon Tanner Jr. was born in Providence, RI on August 8, 1926.
Amy's father died on August 4, 1921 aged 73. Her mother died on December 27, 1937 aged 77. The couple are buried in the graveyard of St Peter's Church, Wolvercote, Oxford.
Amy Tanner died on April 21, 1955 in Providence, RI and was buried at Oakland Cemetery, Cranston, R.I. on 25 April 1955.
Popular Culture[]
Egija Silare as Amy Stanley in Curiosity: What Sank Titanic?
Amy Stanley only appeared as a minor character in Curiosity: What Sank Titanic? and was portrayed by Egija Silare. She is incorrectly seen escaping in Lifeboat 13 with Virginia and Elizabeth.