Maud Sincock

April 17th, 1891 - May 21st, 1984

She is a Taurus.

Maude Sincock, known as Maudie and Maud, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Francis (Frank) Sincock, a plumber in St Ives for Mr. J.J Johns, and Melinda Sincock, née Hosking, a Canadian. She had 10 siblings. Her father was originally from Cornwall, England and they moved back to Haelstown, St Ives, Cornwall when Maud was young.

Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912:
Maud's oldest sister Alice immigrated to Michigan in April of 1909. Soon after her father immigrated to Hancock, Michigan in October of 1911. He worked for the Quincy Mining Company. Maud left Haelstown, St Ives in early 1912 leaving her mother and 7 siblings. Her mother would rejoin the family after the birth of her 11th child. Maud was traveling to Southampton and boarded the RMS Titanic as a 2nd class passenger, along with friends (or distant relatives) of her mother's, Agnes Davies and her son John Davies and Joseph Nicholls. They had been booked on another ship but was transferred to the Titanic because of the coal strike.

They boarded at noon and were very excited. Maud, Agnes, and shared a cabin in 2nd class with Alice Phillips. Lunch was being served as the Titanic left dock. It was a lovely day and Maud found the other 2nd class passengers to be very friendly. The next days were wonderful, they had excellent weather all the way. On the night of April 14th, Maud was in bed. The Titanic struck the iceberg and according to Maud, "It didn't seem so bad to me, but very soon free a steward came along banging on every door calling, 'Everyone on deck with lifebelts'". Maud got up quickly and put a raincoat over her nightgown. She opened the door and watched people ask the steward if the Titanic was going to sink. He told them it was only an precaution. She went down to the passage towards the 2nd class elevator only to find the life boy gone. She then had to climb 5 or 6 decks up before reaching the boat deck. Crowds of passengers were on deck, jostling each other as they tried to find friends. Maud found it useless to try and get through the crowds and stayed put, although she went to the railing and watched the lifeboats being filled.

Maud carried her lifebelt, rather then putting it on. She waited for her turn. A sailor said "This boat is dull enough" but Maud waited and got in another one (possibly lifeboat 11). She turned and looked back towards the deck and saw the firemen coming up, wearing their working clothes. She realized than that the situation was bad, in the distance, Maud could hear the band playing. The boat lowered into the water. The ocean was calm, the air very cold. A sailor told her "She's going fast." Looking back, she could see the lights disappearing as the boat sank down, water pouring into open portholes. Flares were being fired, although they failed to bring help.

As the Titanic sank and broke apart, Maud thought the loud noise she heard was the boilers exploding. The lifeboat rowed around all night long among the icebergs. As morning came a sailor called out "That's a ship", as he saw a speck appear on the horizon. The lifeboat was rowed toward the RMS Carpathia. Getting aboard the Carpathia involved getting into a bosun's chair, facing the side of the ship, and "walking up the side as 2 sailors hoisted you up." Maud found passengers aboard Carpathia to be very helpful. "They did all they could for us". Maud discovered that Joseph Nicholls was among those who perished in the sinking. Maud spent her 21st birthday aboard the Carpathia.

The St Ives newspaper of May 3rd, 1912 carried the following letter written by Maud to on the Carpathia to her mother in Cornwall:

"I am saved but have lost everything. I must however be thankful for my life. I have not a penny and no clothes. I was thrown on board a little boat in my nightdress and boots. I had no stockings on. We were in this little boat in the middle of the ocean for 6 hours. And I was near frozen when we were picked up. I shall be a retry sight when I land. We were rescued by a passing ship, the Carpathia. The Titanic struck just before midnight and went underwater about 2 o'clock. There were over 1000 persons on board when she foundered, Mrs. Davies and her son John Morgan of the Stennack, St Ives, who sailed, are saved, but we have nothing of Joe (Mrs. Davies son by her first husband). We think he is drowned. We have not seen anything by the other boys' (William J. Berriman and William Carbines) who left St Ives. We could hear the screams from the men as the Titanic was sinking. I think there are hundreds drowned. Mrs. Davies told me to ask you to send a message to Balnoon to tell her aunt she is saved, but we don't know anything about Joe. I don't know what I shall do when I get to New York...I am frightened to death nearly, and I am afraid I shall catch my death of cold by the time I get to Hancock. I will write again as soon as possible and tell you more news. I don't know where they are going to put us when we get to New York.

Your loving daughter Maud"

After The Sinking/Later Life/Death:
Maud left the Carpathia with Agnes and John and were invited into the home of a stranger for the night. "They were so very nice to us". They had to wait in New York City until the White Star Line gave them money to each Hancock. Several days later she arrived home, and was very happy to see her father and other relatives. Soon she was appearing at the Orpheum Theater in Hancock and later at theaters in Marquette and Ishpeming, Michigan, telling the story of her rescue. Maud married Arling Roberts on April 2nd, 1918. Arling worked on the docks in Ripley, Michigan, hoisting coal and cargo. Maud worked in the telephone office of Michigan Bay Company. Maud and Arling had 3 children: Virgina (Pipponen), June (Talbot), and Francis.

After the publication of A Night To Remember, she spoke at the local Lion's Club. Her 1956 talk was well received. "Of course I was scared in the lifeboat. All I could see was water and sky." She recalled that many of her fellow passengers were so confident in the Titanic that they were unwilling to get into the boats. She attributed the high loss of life among the 3rd class to their distance from the lifeboat. Maud and Arling celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1968, with Francis Roberts and Virginia Roberts Pipponen in attendance. June Talbot had passed away in 1957. Arling passed away in Houghton, Michigan in October of 1969. Later in her life Maud lived in a senior citizen's apartment, Lakeview Manor in Hancock, MI. She kept busy by participating in card and bingo parties, and travelling to Chicago to visit her sisters several times a year.

She was active in the First United Methodist Church in Hancock, the Women's Society of Christian Service, was a member of the Ladies auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and was an honorary member of the Titanic Historical Society. She was often interviewed on television, radio, and newspapers. In 1980, Maud said that the Titanic "is on my mind." Maud made only one trip on a ocean liner, she never returned to England. Maud was a member of the Titanic Historical Society and had plans to attend the 1982 convention in Universal City, California, until a broken leg prevented her from attending. Maud passed away on May 21st, 1984 at the Houghton County Medical Care Facility after a month's illness. In April of 2012, Francis Roberts who lives in Houghton, MI and Virginia Pipponen who lives in Hancock, MI were able to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Titanic's maiden voyage in events in Maud's hometown. Many of Maud's descendants attended Centennial events to pay tribute to her.

Sources:
www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Rest In Peace Maud Sincock.

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