Gurshon Cohen

Who was Mr Gurshon Cohen?

Mr Gurshon “Gus” Cohen was a remarkable Titanic survivor whose life was marked by numerous brushes with death, earning him the nickname “The Cat.” Born on December 31, 1892, in Whitechapel, London, Cohen was a 19-year-old printer and compositor when he boarded the ill-fated Titanic in 1912. His survival of the disaster was just the beginning of a life filled with near-death experiences and historical significance.

Early Life and Family

Gus Cohen came from a Jewish family in London’s East End. His parents, Israel and Rachel Cohen, were tailors who had immigrated from the Russian Empire. Gus was one of seven children, though only four survived infancy:

• Marks (born 1891)
• Gus (born 1892)
• Abraham (born 1895)
• Hyman (born 1901)

The family lived in various locations in London’s East End, including:

1. 166 Montague Street, Mile End (1901)
2. 7 Brady Street, Whitechapel (1911)

By 1911, young Gus was already working as a compositor, while his brothers were employed as sign-writers and shop-fitters.

The Journey to America

Why did Gus Cohen board the Titanic?

Gus Cohen’s decision to board the Titanic was the result of a series of circumstances:

1. His printing business was struggling
2. He planned to join his uncle in Brooklyn, New York
3. His goal was to open a haberdashery business
4. He hoped to earn enough money to bring his sweetheart, Hettie, to America

Initially, Cohen was booked on another ship, possibly the Teutonic or Adriatic. However, two factors led to his change of plans:

1. His orthodox father forbade him from traveling over a Jewish holiday
2. The ongoing coal strike affected shipping schedules

As a result, Cohen found himself boarding the Titanic at Southampton on April 10, 1912. He traveled third class, with a ticket (number 3540) that cost £8 1s.

The Fateful Night

On the night of April 14, 1912, Gus Cohen’s life changed forever. Here’s a timeline of his experience:

1. 10:30 PM - Cohen retired to his berth
2. 11:40 PM - The Titanic struck the iceberg, waking Cohen
3. Cohen investigated and saw ice chunks on the forward well-deck
4. Returning to his cabin, he found it flooding
5. The master-at-arms ordered passengers to don lifejackets
6. A crewman warned of heavy flooding below
7. Cohen navigated to the lifeboats but was initially prevented from entering

How did Gus Cohen survive the Titanic sinking?

The exact manner of Cohen’s survival is uncertain. There are two possible scenarios:

1. He slid down a fall or jumped into the ocean and was pulled into a passing lifeboat
2. He managed to enter Lifeboat 12 undetected

Regardless of how he made it to safety, Cohen’s recollections of that night were vivid and haunting. He remembered:

• Seeing Irish girls praying with rosaries in the third-class dining room
• The ship’s orchestra, though he insisted they weren’t playing during the final moments
• The harrowing sounds of people struggling for their lives in the water

Life After the Titanic

Gus Cohen’s survival of the Titanic was just the beginning of his extraordinary life:

1. World War I: Served in the military, blinded in one eye after being shot twice in one day
2. 1917: Married his longtime fiancée, Hettie Cohen
3. 1920s-1930s: Survived multiple accidents, including:
   • Falling onto train tracks
   • A hit-and-run accident resulting in a fractured skull
   • A bout of rheumatic fever
4. World War II: Survived the Blitz when a building he oversaw was destroyed
5. 1950s: Corresponded with Walter Lord for the book “A Night to Remember”
6. 1958: Reunited with fellow Titanic survivors following the book’s film adaptation
7. 1960s-1970s: Gave numerous television and newspaper interviews about his Titanic experience

Legacy and Final Years

Gus Cohen’s life was a testament to resilience and survival. Despite his many brushes with death, he and his wife Hettie enjoyed traveling on cruises until her health declined in the late 1960s.

In his later years, Cohen became an important voice in preserving the memory of the Titanic disaster. His vivid recollections and willingness to share his experiences contributed significantly to our understanding of that fateful night.

Gus Cohen passed away on August 4, 1978, at the age of 85 (eighty-five) in Rochford Hospital, Essex. His extraordinary life story serves as a reminder of the human capacity for survival and the importance of preserving historical memories.