Character Profile: Elsie Edith Bowerman

Elsie Edith Bowerman

Age: 22
Residence: Hastings, East Sussex, England
Occupation: Suffragette
Class: First class
Cabin: E-33
Survived? Yes
Lifeboat: 6

Elsie Bowerman and her mother Edith Bowerman Chibnall boarded Titanic bound for America to visit a friend, Mr. T. Guthrie of Cleveland, Ohio, at Guthrie's invitation. The two planned to travel on to Canada and eventually Alaska. This was not unusual for the two ladies, who often traveled long distances and were accustomed to a cosmopolitan lifestyle. The two ladies occupied first-class cabin E-33.

At a time when many women attended university for the sole purpose of finding a husband, Elsie took her studies very seriously. She enrolled at Girton College, Cambridge, in 1908, where she studied medieval and modern languages. While in college, Elsie devoted much of her time to athletics, especially field hockey. She was also a talented pianist and was elected class representative in her first year of school.

Elsie's father died when she was only five years old, and, never seeking the company of men, Elsie lived a life free of male influence. Fiercely independent, Elsie joined her mother in 1909 as an active member of the the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), the leading militant organization campaigning for women's suffrage in the UK. She quickly became the organizer of the Hastings branch of the WSPU, promoting debates and selling copies of Votes for Women.

Though Elsie inherited her father's fortune at age 21, she and her mother preferred to live modestly, saving money wherever they could. The first-class ticket the two purchased in 1912 was a rare indulgence indeed.

Elsie was woken by a steward on the night of April 14, 1912, and she and her mother hastily dressed and made for the boat deck. Both ladies were saved in lifeboat 6, the first boat launched from Titanic's port side.

The sinking did not interfere with Elsie's travel plans, and she continued on to Ohio, British Columbia, the Klondyke, and Alaska.