Bertha Mulvihill

Bridget Elizabeth Mulvihill, better known as Bertha, was an 25 year old beauty from Ireland that was on *Titanic* in Third Class. On 15 November 1886, Bertha was born in Coosan near Athlone, Co Westmeath. Her father, Martin Mulvihill was a farmer, and her mother was Eliza Benson. Bertha was one of 12 children, and 11 made it past infancy.

## Before Titanic

In 1904 she had emigrated to the USA. In 1910 a merchant made use of her services as his maid, and she had also found an Americanx fiancee, Henry Francis Noon. Brown & Sharpe had him employed as a moulder.

In September 1911 she had boarded the *Lusitania* which would take her to Ireland, where she went for a family visit and because her sister Kate's marriage took place.

## Titanic voyage

She boarded Titanic in Queenstown along with two other Irish passengers, Eugene Daly and his sister Margaret Daly, also from Westmeath. Bertha and Margaret shared a cabin. She enjoying the trip, the excellent food, and the clean, fresh rooms. Bertha showed that a smile could prove to be a lifesaver. She had actually found a friend in Robert Hichens in what would be her first voyage across the sea.

## Disaster

On the night of 14 April, *Titanic* had grazed an iceberg and it woke her up, she had gone up to the hal and met Hichens who said: "Girl, there's no danger, we have only ran into an iceberg. He grabbed her hand and told her to follow him. He was going to put her in a lifeboat.

They took the stairs to the Boat Deck and when one of the boats had started lowering, Hichens shouted  "Jump!" and she did and landed into the boat.

Sadly another passenger jumped after her, a young Italian and he landed on top of her which discloated her arm. She nearly passed out because of this.

Nearby, on deck, a scene unfolded in front of her. Nearby was the Rice family,  four children with their mother and father. The father couldn't get in the boat.  This had created a drama because the woman was sorrowful, hysterical and steadfast to stick with her husband, determined that he was the only person that could provide for her and their children. She clinged on to him. Bertha would never forget this moment.

Mulvihill learned later that the whole family had perished.

When the boat was taking distance from the ship, she was bewildered by and concentrated on the ship's posture, and saw how the portholes dipped under slowly but steadily.

When *Titanic*'s end was near,  she heard two fierce explosions which shook the ship.

This caused the sailors in her boat to start rowing fast in fear of the suction, but then the explosion rather pushed them away anyway.

## Aftermath

Her sister Mary Norton lived in Provendence in America, and had no notion that she was returning to the State. Bertha's fiancee was also left in the dark, they had no idea she had taken voyage on *Titanic*. Henry Noon, reading a newspaper, had learnt about the *Titanic* disaster and looked at the list of *Titanic*'s survivors. He saw Bertha's name. Shortly after that, he sped to Mary's house to show her the news. Consequently, he and her brother-in-law Edward Norton waited for her at the docks of New York where she would walk off the *Carpathia*.

## Later life

It is not known if Bridget ever returned to Ireland. She lost her mother to a stroke on 23 June 1933. Her father passed away on 4 May 1936 from senility. In 1945, on October 30th, Bridget was made a widow when she lost her husband, Henry Noon.

In April 1956, during the publication of the book A Night to Remember, she had been quoted by the the Providence Journal. She lost her brother Thomas on 20 May 1958.

Her last years were hard. Bertha had nightmares in which she heard the screams of those who went down with *Titanic*.

Bridget Mulvihill Noon died on 15 October 1959 after having to fight cancer in the late 1950's. She had become 72 years old. She was buried in Rhode Island.