Violet Constance Jessop
Female
Birth date: 2.10.1887 y.
Cabin: Voluntary Aid Detachment-25
Biography:
The infamous Violet Jessop, infamous survivor of Titanic and witness of the RMS Olympic’s collision, now serves on this voyage with duties for the British Red Cross with her story brought to proper justice and honour. Born to Irish immigrants in Argentina, October 2, 1887, she was destined for juggling with fate before she knew it. As a young child, she would unfortunately contract tuberculosis which was deemed possibly fatal. The doctors working with her only gave her just months to give, but she overcame and successfully managed to recover. Just years after in 1903, Violet’s father would unfortunately pass away in Mendoza, Argentina due to surgical complications just before the family would make their return to Britain. This is where her story in service starts.
Although at first, Jessop was hesitant to the idea due to the accounts she’s listened to regarding sailing in the North Atlantic’s waters. Despite this, money was scarce and she needed to provide for her ill mother at the time somehow. With just a pay of 2 quid and 10 shillings 17 hours per month, she became a stewardess for the White Star Line in 1911. Her work started on the RMS Olympic where she recalled contrastingly to her perspective on sailing the North Atlantic before that she loved being onboard anyways. Not much was known about the collision with the HMS Hawke, but she was onboard during it all anyway. Luckily enough, there were no casualties against all potential odds and Jessop persevered.
Jumping into 1912 does Jessop serve on the one of a kind maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. Much like her hesitance of working for the White Star Line, she also refused to continue her stewardess work on Titanic. It took some convincing from her friends who quoted such as a potential ‘wonderful experience’ for her to finally give in and take up the offer as a 1st Class Stewardess. Being more impressed by Titanic than Olympic was already enough to reel her in once she was ready to board. Unlike before, she was anticipating a smooth voyage this time.
Up until April 14th when Jessop skimmed through a Hebrew prayer against fire and water did Titanic face her infamous demise once and for all unbeknownst to the mundane timing. Rosary in her apron and with the power of prayer, Jessop miraculously survived and got off at Lifeboat 16 as the liner seeped beneath the ocean violently. Before being fully lowered, it wasn’t until on her lifeboat did Jessop have to look over someone’s abandoned baby the entirety of the time she sat freezing in the lifeboat. On board Carpathia almost hours later, did a mysterious woman come to take the baby Jessop was tending to without a word and walk off in mere silence. From this point on, a smooth crossing would’ve had to be firmly promised to occur on the way to New York City after the survivors' newly embedded trauma.
Just a couple years later, the Great War finally emerged. Despite the odds before, hence being on a sinking liner and now fresh into war, Jessop got back to her stewardess work once more on the RMS Aquitania in August of 1914. As tensions rose, she was now called to join the war effort as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse. This was after she’d studied an exhausting 4 weeks to become qualified and ended up loving this profession as well much like her stewardess work. While dealing with prissy novices and the intricacies of nursing, she continued to stay in the V.A.D anyways, even recalling the behaviour of some of the younger nurses and their jaunty behaviour.
Jessop would later treat herself to a small trip to New York on the RMS Cedric with relief of her duties as recommended by a doctor to relieve the strain of a poisoned hand from a prick in her finger. This meant she would’ve now had first vacancy in the newly fitted ship HMHS Britannic. After her quick trip she already has to tend to signing Articles for her later service on Britannic. With anticipation to reach Malta where her eldest brother who was wounded with malaria in a hospital, she was left disappointed hearing that it was bound for Mudros instead. Reaching Malta is another story…
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