Real People, Real Stories: Countess of Rothes

Many human connections were made during the tragic events of RMS Titanic’s sinking, most commonly we hear the stories of women united in the grief of losing their husbands, fathers, brothers or sons.

However, one connection created such a bond that it overcame the barriers of class and gender, sparking a life-long friendship between a Countess and an Able Seamen. Despite coming from two very separate worlds, where they most likely would have never crossed paths, fate brought them together and humanity connected them as they worked in unison to rescue those onboard Lifeboat 8.

We were delighted to welcome Angela Young recently to Titanic Belfast where she sat down with members of our staff and shared the  story of her great-grandmother and Titanic survivor, the Countess of Rothes, Lucy Noël Martha and her friendship with Welsh, Able Seaman Thomas William Jones.

Having never discussed the events that took place surrounding RMS Titanic, it was after Noël, as she was fondly known, passed away in 1956 that her family discovered a box that contained letters, newspaper cuttings and memorabilia from the disaster, uncovering the extent of her efforts after the iceberg struck RMS Titanic and revealing her friendship with Thomas Jones.

In order to properly document the historical items, most of the communications were typed up by Angela’s mother, Noël’s granddaughter and logged into scrapbooks which allowed the family to piece together Noël and Thomas’ story. The scrapbooks and other memorabilia are currently retained in the Glenrothes & Area Heritage Centre in Fife close to Leslie House where Noël and her family lived.

Noël was 33 years when she boarded RMS Titanic in Southampton along with her parents, Thomas and Clementina Dyer-Edwards, her husband’s cousin, Gladys Cherry and her ladies’ maid, Roberta Maioni. She was travelling to America to meet her husband, Norman Evelyn, the 19th Earl of Rothes, while their two young sons remained at home in Glenrothes, Fife in Scotland.

Her parents disembarked in Cherbourg and in a letter written to her parents days later having been rescued by RMS Carpathia, she explained her relief of this decision which ultimately saved her father’s life, “… of course, we had no men belonging to us thank God – for the people who had, it has been too ghastly.”

Thomas was 34 years and unmarried when he also boarded RMS Titanic in Southampton. Born and raised in Cemaes, north Anglesey in Wales, he had joined White Star Line approximately 10 years prior and was working as an Able Seaman.

Their first encounter would have been when Noël, along with Gladys and Roberta entered Lifeboat 8, as she recalls in her letter “a little before 1.30am”. It’s accepted that there were 26 people in the boat, 22 women and four men including Thomas.

From various accounts, including Noël’s letter to her parents and newspaper articles, it is understood that Noël and Gladys along with Thomas worked tirelessly to help those onboard the lifeboat. While all three were in favour of going back to try and help rescue more, they regrettably were outnumbered by the rest of the passengers who wanted to row away from Titanic, as they feared being sucked down when the ship starting to go under.

Thomas is quoted to have said, “Ladies, if any of us are saved, remember I wanted to go back. I would rather drown with them than leave them.”

With Thomas taking charge he was supported by Noël who took command of rowing for several hours while Gladys steered the boat for most of the night, Noël also took care of survivors onboard who were in distress.

Thomas Jones later described Noël in a newspaper article, “When I saw the way she spoke to the others, I knew she was more of a man than any we had on board, and I put her in command.”

It took until approximately 5am before they first saw RMS Carpathia. Once rescued Noël got to work helping the doctor with young children and her knowledge of French came in useful to communicate with the French survivors and adopted the nickname ‘The Plucky Little Countess’ by the crew of the Carpathia.

As Noël also explained in her letter to her parents, “We have made great friends of course with some of the people and one marvels at their heroism – tho’ one did not really feel frightened and mercifully there were so many to help and see to.”

Not long after the sinking of RMS Titanic, Thomas and Noël started their correspondence. She gifted him with an engraved fob watch while he made a roundel with the 8 from their lifeboat set in its centre. They wrote to each other over the next 44 years, keeping up with their communication until Noël’s death. As a novelist, Angela understands the importance of a good story, however the real-life friendship between her great-grandmother and Thomas Jones is one story that couldn’t be re-written, but one she felt is important to be shared.

Angela was only five years old when her great-grandmother passed away but over the years, with the help of the scrapbooks her mother gathered, Angela has been able to compile their story and share her own thoughts on the various tragedies that occurred that led to this maritime disaster and significant loss of life. This has resulted in her talk - The Aristocrat, The Able Seaman and the tragic sinking of RMS Titanic which remembers both Noël and Thomas’ kindness, courage and skills on the fateful night.

Continuing the connection between the two families, Angela met Thomas’s youngest daughter, Nell, back in 2012 where she shared memories of Noël writing to her father each year, while Angela shared the knowledge her family had discovered including the letters between both survivors.

While the artefacts of Noël and Thomas are located in Glenrothes, close to where Angela’s family lived, it wasn’t until April 2022 that a memorial was put in place in Cemaes where Thomas was born and raised. Dedicated to both Thomas and Noël, it stands on the beach just below the house where Thomas Jones was born and the following year a plaque was unveiled on his birth home.

While it’s unsure whether Noël and Thomas ever met up again, the bond made within hours of RMS Titanic’s sinking transcended beyond the hours and days of the aftermath and highlighted how true friendship can be found in the most unexpected circumstances.