Elsie Doling

Who was Miss Elsie Doling?

Miss Elsie Doling was an 18-year-old English passenger who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. Born on November 30, 1893, in Southampton, Hampshire, she embarked on a journey that would not only change her life but also make her a part of one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history.

Early Life and Family

A Large Southampton Family

Elsie Doling was born into a large family in Southampton, a bustling port city on England’s southern coast. Her parents were:

• Father: John Doling (1855-1941), a Temperance hotel proprietor
• Mother: Augusta Lucretia Parker (1856-1923)

Elsie was one of twelve known children, highlighting the size of Victorian-era families. Her siblings included:

• John Thomas (1877-1938)
• Mary Elizabeth (1878-1979)
• Percy (1880-1961)
• Verna Augusta (1881-1967)
• Edward Charles (b. 1884)
• Alfred Ernest (1885-1886)
• Ethel Florence (b. 1887)
• Violet (1889-1890)
• Gladys (1896-1897)
• Harold Victor (1897-1976)
• Lillian Alexandra (1901-1902)

By 1911, the Doling family resided at Spring Bank, The Crescent in Shirley, Southampton.

The Fateful Titanic Journey

Why was Elsie on the Titanic?

Elsie’s journey on the Titanic was not planned in isolation. Her eldest brother John, who managed the Atlantic Hotel in Southampton, was married to Ada Julia Elizabeth Bone. Several of Ada’s relatives had migrated to New York in the previous decade, prompting a family visit. Elsie was chosen to accompany her sister-in-law Ada on this transatlantic voyage.

Titanic Ticket Details

• Class: 2nd Class
• Ticket Number: 231919
• Cost: £23 (joint ticket with Ada)
• Embarked: Southampton

It’s worth noting that some speculate Elsie and Ada were traveling with music dealer Henry Price Hodges, though this connection remains unconfirmed.

A Photograph in Queenstown

When the Titanic docked at Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, a moment was captured that would later become a poignant reminder of the tragedy. Elsie, Ada, and an unidentified male passenger were photographed on the aft-promenade deck. This photograph gained significance after the disaster, appearing in newspapers as a haunting glimpse of life aboard the ill-fated ship.

Survival and Aftermath

The Night of the Sinking

On the night of April 14-15, 1912, when the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink, Elsie and Ada managed to secure places on a lifeboat. While we know they survived, the specific lifeboat they boarded remains a mystery, lost to the chaos of that fateful night.

News of Survival

The survival of Elsie and Ada brought relief to their worried family. The Irvington Gazette reported on April 19, 1912:

“The sinking of the great ship, the Titanic, on Monday, has caused grave apprehensions to George Bone, of the Graves estate. Mr. Bone’s sister, Mrs. Ada Doling, and his sister-in-law, Miss Elsie Doling, had taken passage with the intention of spending a few weeks with him in this country. From the published accounts of the survivors on the Carpathia the names of Doling appears, and there is no doubt that both of the women were saved from a watery grave.”

Return to England

After their rescue by the Carpathia and a brief stay in New York with relatives, Elsie and Ada returned to England. They boarded the Philadelphia on May 11, 1912, eager to reunite with their family in Southampton.

Life After the Titanic

Marriage and Move to India

In the years following the Titanic disaster, Elsie’s life took an unexpected turn. She met William St Alban Hendricks, an Anglo-Indian physician and World War I Royal Navy veteran. Their paths crossed while Hendricks was advancing his studies in the UK. The couple fell in love, and Elsie embarked on another life-changing journey, this time to India.

Elsie and William were married on November 6, 1920, in Bombay (now Mumbai), India.

Family Life in Sikkim

Dr. Hendricks, who later received an MBE, worked as a physician in Gangtok, Kingdom of Sikkim, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. Elsie adapted to life in this remote and exotic location, far from her Southampton roots. The couple had four children:

1. William John (1922-2006)
2. Gerald St Alban (1924-2018)
3. Clara (1927-2002)
4. Elizabeth Mary (b. 1933)

The family maintained connections with Britain, making several trips back. Their second child, Gerald, was born during one of these visits in December 1924.

Return to England

In 1949, Elsie and her family made a significant decision to resettle in England permanently. Dr. Hendricks established himself as a general practitioner in Bitterne, Southampton, bringing the family full circle back to Elsie’s hometown.

Legacy and Final Years

Elsie Doling Hendricks reportedly spoke very rarely about her experience on the Titanic, perhaps finding the memories too painful or preferring to focus on her present life.

After her husband’s death in 1966, Elsie spent her final years living with her daughter Clara in Lockerley, a village near Romsey in Hampshire. She passed away on March 3, 1972, at the age of 78 (seventy-eight).

Elsie’s final resting place is in the grounds of St John’s Church in Lockerley, a quiet testament to a life that bridged continents and survived one of history’s most famous disasters.

As of 2019, Elsie’s youngest child, Elizabeth, was still alive, carrying forward the remarkable legacy of a young woman who stepped aboard the Titanic and lived to tell the tale.