Catherine Jane Wallis
Catherine Jane Wallis was an assistant of the victualling crew on Titanic.
Early life[]
Catherine Jane Wallis was born on 1877 in Southampton, as the daughter of Robert Hamell Moore and Ann Matilda Skelton. She had two elder brothers. The married couple’s first child was Robert William, born in 1871, followed by Cornelius in 1875.
Catherine was refered to as ‘Cissy’ ‘Cissie’ by those who were close to her.
Her eldest brother Robert died very young, as early as 1896 when he was 25-26 years old. Catherine later married James Wallis. From their marriage, 2 girls and 2 boys were born: Melita Anne in 1899, James Robert Wallis in 1904, Frederick Walter in 1907 and lastly, Cecillia Horrisa in 1909.
On January 1911, James died. Mrs Wallis was now left to raise her four children alone. Near the end of the same year, her father passed away as well. Her mother had already died in 1903.
Titanic[]
Cissy signed-on for the Titanic on 6 April 1912, having worked on the Oceanic just before. As an assisting Matron in Third Class she received monthly wages of £3.
On April 14, Titanic met her tragedous fate by scraping her hull against an iceberg. Sea water poored in and she couldn’t stay afloat. At midnight on April 15, the commanding crew of the ship came to the conclusion that she was doomed, and the captain ordered for evacuation. At 2:20 A.M, Titanic foundered. Catherine was lost in the sinking, leaving all four of her children orphaned. Her body, if recovered, was never identified. She was one of only a handful of female crew members that didn’t survive the disaster. Her colleague, Mrs. Lucy Violet Snape didn’t survive either.
Her other brother passed away as early as 1916. There seem to have been a lot of early and young deaths in her family.