| As the 100th anniversary has past, of the unsinkable Titanic went down after hitting a supposed iceberg. Do you know that a person from Fife took a major part in the drama, this will not come as a surprise to ..... |  |
 | .......Many of the older generations in Leslie, Fife, will have heard the story of Lucy Noël Martha Leslie, The Countess of Rothes, she survived the Titanic disaster and was a heroine on lifeboat No.8. |
| Lucy Noël Martha Leslie, The Countess of Rothes. | |
| She embarked at Southampton with her parents, Thomas and Clementina Dyer-Edwardes, cousin Gladys Cherry, and maid Roberta Maioni. Her parents disembarked at Cherbourg, while the others continued, en route for New York and possibly Vancouver, British Columbia. While Lady Rothes and her cousin were originally installed in the first class basic cabin C37, it is possible they upgraded to a more commodious suite, C77 (in an interview with the American press, she has been quoted as having said she and her cousin stayed in stateroom B77). |  |
 | The Countess, her cousin and maid were rescued in lifeboat 8. Thomas William Jones, the able seaman in charge of their lifeboat, later said Rothes “had a lot to say, so I put her to steering the boat,” a compliment on her leadership abilities. She took the tiller, asking her cousin to assist her until she went to sit next to and comfort a young Spanish newlywed, María de Satode y Peñasco, whose husband had remained behind on the sinking liner. There she remained for the duration of the night, rowing all the while and helping to boost the morale of other women until their lifeboat was picked up by the RMS Carpathia;once aboard Carpathia, she devoted herself to the care of the steerage women and children from Titanic. |
| (Thomas William Jones, photo Courtesy of Henry Aldridge & Sons) | |
 |  |
| (RMS Carpathia) | (Survivors list from Carpathia, Ancestry.co.uk) |
| As a token of his esteem, Jones later presented her with the brass number plate from their lifeboat. She wrote to him every Christmas, and the two maintained correspondence until her death. She died in Hove, Sussex, on 12 September 1956, having suffered for some time from heart disease. | A small display was held in Leslie, Fife showing the story of the remarkable Countess of Rothes. Another excellent link to Countess of Rothes detailing much more of her life story. |
The Fife Post………..for genealogy and historical information.
Fife has an abundance of rich history
I have a certificate for clearance from the Board of Trade Surveyors Office Number 408 with details of the Titanic dated 13 April 1912 , any information that could be provided about this paperwork would be much appreciated as I’m enquiring for a friend as he cannot find anything even at the maritime museum in Adelaide Australia