Lucile Carter: The Society Woman Who Took an Oar and Rowed for Survival

Lucile Carter: The Society Woman Who Took an Oar and Rowed for Survival

I have been learning about some of the people who were aboard the Titanic. I want to tell you about Lucile Carter.

She was born on the 8th of October 1875 in Baltimore, into a well-connected and comfortable family. By her teenage years she was already appearing in society pages. 

In 1896, she married William Ernest Carter, who was the heir to a large coal fortune. She became known for her bold fashion and her adventurous spirit, she took part in activities that were unusual for women of the time.  She rode astride a horse and drove a carriage through busy streets. 

By the early 1900s, the family were dividing their time between Europe and America. In April 1912, they boarded the RMS Titanic with their children and servants.

When the ship hit an iceberg on the 14th of April 1912, Lucile was luck to be able to get herself in a lifeboat with her children. There was not enough crew to manage the boat, so she took an oar and began to row. What an  image, a woman from high society, forced into action, not out of expectation but necessity. Later, she was recognised as one of the women who helped row the lifeboats to safety.

In 1914, she divorced her husband, and later accounts suggested that their marriage was not happy. It makes me wonder how the events of that night may have changed her perspective.

That same year, she remarried George Brooke Jr., and although the years that followed brought house fires and the disruptions of war. But they seemed happy and they had a daughter together.

She died on the 26th of October 1934 at the age of 59. 

What do you think defines courage, the actions we take in crisis, or the choices we make afterwards?