Rlated Story – Millvina Dean, Last Titanic survivor dies at 97
Barbara Joyce Dainton née West (May 24, 1911 – October 16, 2007) was second to the last remaining survivor from the sinking of the Titanic.
Barbara was born in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, the second child and daughter of Edwy Arthur West and his wife, Ada Mary Worth. She was preceded in birth by a sister, Constance Mirium. Barbara was 10 months and 22 days old when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York City.
The West family boarded the Titanic at Southampton, England as second-class passengers, en route to Gainesville, Florida. Barbara, her pregnant mother and older sister, Constance, escaped the sinking ship in lifeboat 10. Barbara’s father did not survive. Upon their arrival in New York, Ada took her daughters and booked passage aboard the Celtic, returning to England, where she later gave birth to a third daughter.
In 1952 Barbara married William Ernest B. Dainton.
Barbara never participated in any Titanic-related event, having said that she wanted "nothing to do with the Titanic people". She lived in Truro, United Kingdom, but remained incapacitated and required full care in her last months of life. West died on October 16, 2007 in Truro at the age of 96. Her funeral took place on November 5 at Truro Cathedral.
** The last living Titanic survivor is Millvina Dean, 95, of Southampton, England.
