Miss Kate Florence Phillips

Who was Kate Florence Phillips?

Kate Florence Phillips was a 19 (nineteen) year-old English passenger who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Born on January 1, 1893, in Kings Norton, Worcestershire, she embarked on a scandalous journey that would shape the rest of her life and leave a lasting legacy.

Early Life and Background

Kate Florence Phillips grew up in a working-class family in Worcestershire, England. She was one of five children born to Thomas Charles Phillips, an engine fitter, and Mary Smith. Her siblings included:

Agnes (b. 1884)
Charles (b. 1887)
Ellen (b. 1889)
Edith (b. 1899)

By 1911, the family had moved to 34 Waterworks Road, Worcester, where Kate worked as an unmarried confectionery shop assistant.

A Clandestine Affair and the Titanic Journey

How did Kate end up on the Titanic?

Kate’s life took a dramatic turn when she began a secret affair with her married employer, Henry Samuel Morley. Morley, born in 1873, was the senior partner of L. Morley Confectioners and already had a wife and daughter.

The illicit couple made plans to elope to America, abandoning Morley’s family. They boarded the Titanic in Southampton on April 10, 1912, traveling under the pseudonym “Mr. and Mrs. Marshall.” Their journey details included:

Detail	Information
Class	2nd Class
Ticket Number	250655
Fare	£26
Destination	Los Angeles, California

Morley had told his family and friends that he was visiting California to recuperate from a recent illness, concealing the true nature of his departure.

The Fateful Night: Disaster Strikes

What happened to Kate during the Titanic’s sinking?

On the night of April 14-15, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink. In the chaos that ensued, Kate and Henry were separated. While Kate managed to survive the disaster, Henry Morley did not.

Kate’s escape from the sinking ship was dramatic – she reportedly fled wearing only a nightgown and had to be wrapped in a crewman’s jumper to keep warm.

The exact lifeboat Kate boarded is uncertain, but she was among the second-class survivors who made it to safety.

Life After the Titanic

How did the Titanic disaster impact Kate’s life?

Kate returned to England and her family in Worcester. On January 11, 1913, she gave birth to a daughter, Ellen Mary, whom she claimed was Henry Morley’s child. However, as was common in such cases, the father’s name did not appear on the birth certificate.

Kate’s post-Titanic life was marked by several significant events:

Move to London and new career as a shoe and hat saleswoman
Marriage to Frederick H. Watson, a café proprietor, in 1918
Birth of second daughter, Joan M. Watson, on August 16, 1919
Assumed guardianship of Ellen from her parents around 1922

A Troubled Legacy

Kate’s relationship with her daughter Ellen was reportedly strained. Some sources allege that Kate became physically and mentally abusive toward Ellen, prompting authorities to investigate. In later years, Kate’s mental health appeared to deteriorate further:

She reportedly became emotionally unbalanced
Developed hypochondriacal tendencies
Attempted suicide on at least one occasion, including ingesting a corrosive liquid

These issues led to a period of institutionalization in an asylum.

Final Years and Death

The last years of Kate’s life were spent bedridden, and her husband Frederick eventually abandoned her. Kate Florence Phillips (Watson) died on March 27, 1964, in Harrow, Middlesex, at the age of 71 (seventy-one).

Her remains were cremated on April 2, 1964, at Breakspear Crematorium in Ruislip, Middlesex. Her ashes were scattered in the garden of remembrance, and she is remembered in the crematorium’s book of remembrance.

The Truth Revealed: A DNA Legacy

For years, Kate’s daughter Ellen fought to be recognized as Henry Morley’s child, but this was never definitively established during her lifetime. Ellen, known as Betty, passed away on October 29, 2005, at the age of 92 (ninety-two).

In a final twist to the family’s story, a DNA comparison conducted in December 2020 between members of the Phillips and Morley families conclusively established that Ellen’s parents were indeed Kate Phillips and Henry Samuel Morley, confirming the long-held family claim and providing closure to a century-old mystery born from the Titanic disaster.