At a recent meeting of the Edwinstowe Historical Society members applauded Bob Massey after listening to his talk about Violet Constance Jessop, ocean liner stewardess, World War One nurse and survivor of the sinking of the SS Titanic and SS Britannic.

Emulating her mother, Violet’s first position as stewardess was on board RMS Orinoco.    She was on board when the vessel collided with another boat.  Undaunted she transferred to the Titanic which sank in 1912, and while in a lifeboat she was tasked with the care of a baby.  When aboard the rescue ship Carpathia a woman, presumably the baby’s mother, grabbed the baby she was holding and ran off crying, without saying a word.  (An incident often referred to by film makers in their productions.)  During WW1 Violet served as a British Red Cross nurse on board the hospital ship Britannic, and once again fate intervened when the vessel struck a German mine in the Aegean sea, sinking within 55 minutes.  Jumping out of the lifeboat she avoided being shredded by the ship’s propellers, and survived a traumatic head injury while doing so.  Violet retired in 1950 and died in 1971, aged 83 years.

The current photographic display in the Sherwood Forest Art and Craft Centre focuses on aerial views of Edwinstowe, from which it is noticeable how small parcels of land have been utilised for carparking and housing.