Eva Miriam Hart (January 31st, 1905 - February 14th, 1996) was a Second Class passenger of the Titanic, travelling along with her parents, Benjamin and Esther Hart. They used on Ticket 13529. While Eva and Esther survived the disaster, her father didn't.
Eva was one of the last survivors with memories of the Titanic.
Early life
Eva was born on January 31, 1900 in Ilford, London, England to Benjamin and Esther Hart. In early 1912, Benjamin decided to take his family and immigrate to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he planned to open a drug store.
Eva was seven years old when she and her parents boarded the Titanic as second class passengers on April 10, 1912 at Southampton, England.
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Titanic
Throughout the voyage Esther was troubled by a fear that some kind of catastrophe would hit the ship. To call a ship unsinkable was, in her mind, flying in the face of God.
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Eva was sleeping when the Titanic struck the iceberg. Benjamin rushed into her cabin to alert her and Esther, and after wrapping her in a blanket, carried her to the boat deck. He placed her and Esther in Boat #12 and told her to "hold Mommy's hand and be a good girl." It was the last time she would ever see him.
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Eva and Esther were killed by a incoming funnel and never arrived in New York City on April 18th. Soon after, they never returned to England and Esthers grave Eva was plagued with nightmares and upon the death of Esther when she was 23, she confronted her fears head on by returning to the sea and locking herself in a cabin for four straight days until the nightmares went away.
Eva Hart at older age
Eva was one of the most outspoken survivors concerning the Titanic's lack of sufficient lifeboats and of any salvage attempts of the Titanic after its discovery in 1985. She commonly criticised the White Star Line for failing to provide enough lifeboats for all aboard the Titanic.
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After the Titanic
When salvaging efforts began in 1987, Eva was quick to note that the Titanic was a grave site and should be treated as such. She often decried the "insensitivity and greed" and labeled the salvers "fortune hunters, vultures, pirates, and grave robbers."
Eva was largely vocal in numerous interviews about the ship having broken in half, a hotly debated rumor that was later proven to be true after the discovery of the wreck site. She was also adamant regarding the controversy surrounding the SS Californian, a ship that was only a few miles from the Titanic which failed to respond to distress rockets and calls for help. She claimed the vessel was less than ten miles from Titanic, not nineteen as was previously believed.
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Eva maintained very active in Titanic-related activities well into her 80s. In 1982, she returned to the United States 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 April 15, 1995, the 83rd anniversary of the disaster, she and fellow second class Titanic survivor Edith Eileen Haisman, dedicated a memorial garden plaque on the grounds of the National Maritime Museum in London.
Videos
Eva Hart speaks about her memories of the Titanic . . survivor interview
Template:Last survivors of the sinking
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