RMS Titanic Book 2

Kate Smith

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1886 - September 26th, 1947

Zodiac sign is unknown.

Kate Elizabeth Smith was born in Bredon, a village near the Worcestershire-Gloucestershire borders in England. She was later baptized on January 6th, 1868 in Norton, Worcestershire to Charles Williams Smith (born 1828), a solicitor's clerk, and his wife Harriett, née Evans (born 1840) who both hailed from Gloucestershire and who had married in Bristol on September 23rd, 1863. She had 2 siblings: Emily Jane (born 1864) and Charles Henry (1875 - 1932). The 1881 census shows Kate and her family living at Pitchbombe, Brookthorpe, á Gloucestershire and they would be in the same locale by the time of the 1891 census. By the time of the latter census Kate was described as unemployed whilst her father was living on his own account. Her father died on July 8th, 1897 at the age of 69 whilst they were residents of Fair View Villas on Bath Road in Stroud.

Kate, her mother, and brother were listed on the 1901 census living at Slad Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire; her profession wasn't stated but what is known is that she had already commenced a career at sea. Her first sea voyage was in 1893 when she was a passenger on the Vancouver of the Dominion Line and where she was in charge of immigrant children en route to Canada who was under the care of Painswick, Gloucestershire philanthropist Harriett Wemyss. Kate found that voyage so agreeable that she decided to commence her own career at sea and joined the Cunard Line shortly after. She was shown on numerous voyages aboard Cunard Line's Lucania between April of 1898 and June of 1899 when she was earning £4 per month as a stewardess and for the most part gave her address as Upper Hill Street. By June of 1900, she was a stewardess aboard Ivernia and gave her address as Hawthorne Villa, Slad Road, Stroud. 

Kate's stint with Cunard Line was followed by working for the American Steamship Company and the White Star Line. Among the estimated 16 vessels Kate served aboard up to 1912 were: Servia, Umbria, Lucania, Ivernia, St Louis, St Paul, and Olympic. A veteran of sea disasters, Kate was aboard the Olympic at the time of its collision with the HMS Hawke in 1911, reportedly only leaving the area of the damage minutes before impact. On April 25th, 1908 she was aboard the St Paul when, in adverse weather conditions, she collided with the HMS Gladiator, a Royal Navy cruiser.

Kate would be absent from the 1911 census but her by-then-married brother Charles and his wife, Edith were listed as living at Slad Road, Stroud with Harriett and he was described as a post office clerk.

Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912:
When she signed onto the RMS Titanic on April 6th, 1912 Kate gave her address as Balmoral, Cebbett Road, Southampton. Her previous ship had been the Olympic and as a stewardess she received monthly wages of £3, 10s. It appears that whilst aboard she shared a cabin with stewardess Alice Prichard. Kate was rescued but it's not currently known in which lifeboat (lifeboat 11 contained several other stewardess and its a possibility.

Kate and Alice Prichard were rescued together, and interview suggests. Charles and Harry received a telegram confirming her survival on April 19th, 1912.

After The Sinking/Later Life/Death:
Kate returned to working at sea and up until April of 1914 had been a stewardess aboard the Olympic when she was suspended for "a slight breach of the regulations". Expecting to return to work aboard Olympic, in June of 1914 Kate found herself hauled before the magistrate court, accused of stealing a £5 note from a Mrs. Prangnell, a shopkeeper from Eastleigh. For this offense, she was placed on probation for 6 months.

On December 8th, 1914 she arrived in New York via Liverpool aboard Cameronia; this time travelling as a passenger she stated no profession and gave her age as 39 (she was in fact 47) and listed her next of kin as Harry. Headed to West 124th Street, New York, she was described as standing at 5'6 and with brown hair and eyes and a dark complexion. It's evident that she eventually returned to England and continued working at sea for a period until at least the early 1920's. Kate's activities in the following years remains obscure; she and Emily were still active in July of 1932 where they were mourners at the funeral of Charles. Harriett lived to be 94 years old and passed away in September of 1934.

Whilst Kate's later movements are ambiguous, there are indication she remained in Stroud for a period she apparently spent her final days at The Elms, a workhouse on Swindon Road in Cheltenham, but whether she was an employee  or inmate is unclear. Kate passed away at the age of 81 on September 26th, 1947. She was interred on October 1st, 1947 at St John the Baptist Church graveyard in Pitchcombe, Gloucester in a family grave where her parents are also buried. She is memorialized on their headstone.

Sources:
www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Rest In Peace Kate Smith.