Barbara West

For the WFTV anchor, seeBarbara West (TV news anchor).

For the British hockey player, seeBarbara Winifred West.

Barbara West
Born	Barbara Joyce West (1911-05-24)24 May 1911 Bournemouth,Hampshire,England
Died	16 October 2007(2007-10-16)(aged 96) Truro,Cornwall,England
Known for	Survivor of theTitanicsinking
Spouses	Stanley Winder ​ ​ (m.1938; died 1951)​ William Dainton ​ ​ (m.1952; died 1990)​
Parent(s)	Edwy West and Ada Worth
Relatives	Constance and Edwyna West(sisters)

Barbara Joyce Dainton(néeWest,24 May 1911 – 16 October 2007) was thepenultimateremaining survivor of the sinking of theRMSTitanicon 14 April 1912 after hitting anicebergon its maiden voyage. She was the last living survivor who travelled second-class on the ship.

Early life

Barbara Joyce West was born inBournemouth,Hampshire(nowDorset),England,on 24 May 1911 to Edwy Arthur West and Ada Mary Worth. Ada had given birth to a daughter, Constance, in 1907, and was pregnant with a third child when she boarded theTitanic.

Edwy decided to start a new life in the fruit culture business inGainesville, Florida,and, along with his expectant wife and two children, were emigrating there by way of theTitanic.

AboardTitanic

Barbara, her parents, and older sister, Constance, boarded theTitanicon 10 April 1912 atSouthampton, England,as second-class passengers. Barbara was just ten months and eighteen days old, making her the eighth-youngest passenger on board the ship.

When theTitaniccollided with an iceberg at 11:40 p.m, on 14 April 1912, Barbara was asleep in her cabin. Her mother, Ada, later recalled:

We were all asleep when the collision took place, but were only jolted in our berths-my husband and children not even being awakened, and it was only the hurrying of passengers outside the cabin that caused alarm. The steward made us all get up and dress thoroughly with plenty of warm things. Arthur placed lifebelts upon the children and then carried them to the boat deck. I followed carrying my handbag. After seeing us safely into the lifeboat, Arthur returned to the cabin for a thermos of hot milk, and, finding the lifeboat let down, he reached it by means of a rope, gave the flask to me, and, with a farewell, returned to the deck of the ship.

Barbara, her mother and sister all survived the sinking and were picked up by the rescue shipCarpathia.Her father, however, did not survive the sinking; and his body, if recovered, was never identified.

The surviving West family arrived inNew York Cityaboard theCarpathiaon 18 April. Upon their arrival, Ada booked passage for herself and her daughters aboard theWhite Star Line'sRMSCeltic.The ship arrived atLiverpool,England, on 6 May, and Ada gave birth to a third daughter, Edwyna Joan, (in honour of her father) on 14 September.

Her mother, Ada, died on 20 April 1953, aged 74, while her elder sister, Constance, died on 12 September 1963, aged 56. Barbara's sister, Edwyna, married a British diplomat and resided in England and the Bahamas.

Schooling and career

As a child, Barbara attended the Worshipful Boarding School inPurley, England,and went on to attend theTruro High Schoolall-girls school and St. Luke's College inExeter.After college, Barbara became a governess to a Cornish family and moved with them toSpainuntil the outbreak of theSpanish Civil Warin 1936. After returning toEngland,Barbara taught at a high school inGuildford.

In the 1950s, Barbara taught at a school inTruro,and she later became deputy head of physical education atPlymstock Schooluntil 1972.

Marriages

In 1938, Barbara married Stanley Winder, a rugby player. The two were married for 13 years before Stanley died of a heart attack in 1951. Barbara was married to her second husband, William Ernest Barrel Dainton, from 1952 until his death in 1990.

Later life

Throughout her life, Barbara avoided all publicity associated with theTitanic.As she aged and became one of only a handful of living survivors, more interest in Barbara's story grew, but she refused to discuss the disaster outside her family circle, often saying she wanted 'nothing to do with theTitanicpeople'.She did, however, communicate sparingly with the British Titanic Society, but such communication was heavily guarded.

Her later years saw her living inTruro,where she volunteered as a guide at theTruro Cathedralwhich contains a memorial tablet to her father.

Death

Barbara died on 16 October 2007 in Truro, Cornwall, at the age of 96. Her funeral was held on 5 November at Truro Cathedral. To avoid unwanted attention and maintain privacy, Barbara insisted that her funeral take place before any public announcement of her death.With her death, 95-year-oldMillvina Deanof Southampton, England, became the last livingTitanicsurvivor; Dean died 19 months later.

References

• Eaton, John P.; Haas, Charles A. (1995).Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy(2nd ed.). New York: W.W. Newton & Company.ISBN978-0-39303-697-8.
• Lord, Walter(2004).A Night to Remember.New York: Owl Books.ISBN978-0-80507-764-3.

External links

• "Barbara Joyce West".Encyclopedia Titanica.24 May 2002.
• "Barbara Dainton, 96, Among Last From Titanic, Is Dead".The New York Times.Associated Press.9 November 2007.
• "Barbara Dainton, Titanic Survivor, dies at 96".The Daily Telegraph.9 November 2007.