As we celebrated International Women’s Day, we remembered Truro High alumna Barbara West. At the time of her death in 2007, Barbara was one of the last two living survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
Just ten months old, she was travelling with her parents and older sister to begin a new life in Florida when the ship struck an iceberg on 14 April 1912. Barbara, her mother and sister were placed on board a lifeboat and her father’s last act was to hand a flask of warmed milk to his family as they set off in the darkness.
Picked up by the rescue ship Carpathia, Barbara was taken to New York City before returning home to the UK. She attended Truro High School and enjoyed a long and successful career as a teacher. True resilience!