Gladys Cherry

Who was Miss Gladys Cherry?

Miss Gladys Cherry was an English first-class passenger and survivor of the RMS Titanic disaster. Born on August 27, 1881, in Greenwich, London, she was 30 (thirty) years old when she boarded the ill-fated ship. Cherry was known for her aristocratic connections and her vivid account of the sinking, particularly her praise for the heroic actions of Able Seaman Thomas Jones during the evacuation.

Early Life and Family

A Noble Lineage

Gladys Cherry was born into a family with distinguished connections. Her mother, Lady Emily Louisa Haworth-Leslie, was the daughter of Mary Elizabeth, the 18th Countess of Rothes, establishing Gladys’s link to Scottish nobility. Her father, James Frederick Cherry, served as a civil clerk and librarian in the Admiralty Department of the Civil Service.

Childhood and Siblings

As the youngest of three children, Gladys grew up alongside her elder siblings:

• Miriam Emily (1872-1954)
• Charles Cameron Leslie (1873-1931)

Tragedy struck early in Gladys’s life when her father passed away on January 3, 1884, at the young age of 42. At the time, the family resided at The Maples in Blackheath, Kent.

Education and Early Adulthood

While specific details about Gladys’s education are scarce, census records provide glimpses into her early life:

• 1891: Living at 24 Fairholm Road in Fulham, London
• 1901: Residing at flat 44, Wetherby Mansions in Earls Court, Kensington, London

Interestingly, the 1911 census shows her mother living at Flat 18, 87 Victoria Street, Westminster, but Gladys is not listed, suggesting she may have been traveling abroad.

The Titanic Voyage

Boarding the Ill-Fated Ship

On April 10, 1912, Gladys Cherry boarded the RMS Titanic at Southampton, accompanied by her cousin, the Countess of Rothes, and the Countess’s maid, Roberta Maioni. The three women shared a joint ticket (number 110152) which cost a considerable £86 10s, equivalent to over £10,000 in today’s currency.

Accommodations and Rescue

The party was assigned to cabin B-77, befitting their first-class status. When disaster struck on the night of April 14-15, Gladys and her companions were among the fortunate few to secure a place on a lifeboat. They were rescued in lifeboat 8, one of the first to be launched from the starboard side of the ship.

Heroism and Controversy

A Letter of Gratitude

In the aftermath of the disaster, Gladys penned a heartfelt letter to Able Seaman Thomas Jones, who had been in charge of their lifeboat. Published in The Henley and South Oxfordshire Standard on June 7, 1912, the letter read in part:

“I feel I must write and tell you how splendidly you took charge of our boat on the fatal night. There were only four English people in it-my cousin Lady Rothes, her maid, you and myself-and I think you were wonderful.”

The Debate Over Returning

Gladys’s letter also revealed a poignant moment of moral dilemma:

“The dreadful regret I shall always have, and I know you share with me, is that we ought to have gone back to see whom we could pick up; but if you remember, there was only an American lady, my cousin, self and you who wanted to return.”

This account highlights the difficult decisions faced by survivors in the immediate aftermath of the sinking.

Life After the Titanic

Marriage and Later Years

Gladys returned to England following the disaster. In 1928, at the age of 47 (forty-seven), she married George Octavius Shaw Pringle, a retired Royal Artillery Major. The couple, who remained childless, settled in Godalming, Surrey, at Mount Alvernia on Tuesley Lane.

Final Years and Legacy

George Pringle passed away on August 17, 1952. Gladys lived for another 13 years, dying in Godalming on May 4, 1965, at the age of 83 (eighty-three). She was cremated at Woking St. Johns crematorium, Surrey, and her ashes were scattered in Tennyson Lake Garden at the crematorium on May 22, 1965.

Gladys Cherry’s life, intertwined with one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history, serves as a poignant reminder of the human stories behind the Titanic tragedy. Her firsthand account, preserved in her letter to Thomas Jones, continues to provide valuable insights into the events of that fateful night and the complex emotions experienced by survivors.