The Outback Monkeys

More British passengers died on the Titanic because they queued politely for lifeboats, researchers believe.

A behavioural economist says data suggests Britons in that era were more inclined to be "gentlemanly" while Americans were more "individualist".

Women with children had a 70% better chance of survival than men in such an environment, he told the BBC.

The Titanic sank during its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, with the loss of 1,500 lives.

David Savage, from Queensland University of Technology, studied the disaster to look at how people react in life and death situations.

He said that in testimonies from inquiries in America and Britain just after the event, there were a lot of statements from women saying their husbands put them on lifeboats.

The American culture was... a more individualist culture and the British culture was more about the gentlemanly behaviour
David Savage,
Queensland University of Technology

They then "went to the back of the boat to have a cigar, to stand around and be chummy, while basically the boat went down".

Mr Savage said: "There was one gentleman who was rather wealthy... who went back downstairs after he put his wife on the [life] boat... put on his tuxedo...went back upstairs and smoked... with the idea that if I am going die, I may as well die as a gentleman and well-dressed."

'Peak of society'

The "unsinkable" ocean liner went down in freezing Atlantic waters during its voyage from Southampton to New York. As it sank, the captain, Edward John Smith, shouted: "Be British, boys, be British," according to witnesses.

FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE

More from BBC World Service

"The American culture was set up to be a more individualist culture and the British culture was more about the gentlemanly behaviour," Mr Savage says.

"You've got to remember that this is the Edwardian period when to be a gentleman was the peak of society."

Mr Savage also concludes that social norms such as "women and children first" were very strong in British culture and survived in such an environment.

emelems

goodness!

Em x

Toe Dipper

But that was in 1912!!

Now, it would be chavs and chavettes first "coz they wox ere first, an wot u gunna do bout it?"


TD

Burbage

If there was an ocean liner full of chavs floating around I hope they would have the presence of mind to make sure it has no lifeboats before they torpedo it.

Dorothy

Um, were there perhaps more British on the Titanic than Americans in the first place?

BadgeIsBack

And that was before the great levelller of the First World War where aspects of the British class system were eroded - if still in place at the end of it.

The war had so many toff officers killed leading from the front that the blokes realised that the nobs were just as normal too.

BadgeIsBack

You'd like to think that it would still be a case of women and children first.

I'd wave my (out of date) boat handler's certificate, wack a dress on and use a falsetto, whilst carrying my kids slung on my back.

emelems