Survivor: Eva Hart survived the sinking of the Titanic after her dad placed her in a lifeboat and told her to hold mummy's hand

Historian Mark Watson will tell the story of a Titanic survivor who became one of the fiercest critics of the maritime disaster.

The Titanic Disaster 100 Years On will lift the lid on the life of Chadwell Heath singer Eva Hart, who died aged 91 in 1996.

Eva was just seven when she saw the liner go down in the Atlantic, with the loss of 1,517 passengers and crew in 1912.

Her dad Benjamin placed the young girl in a lifeboat and told her to “hold mummy’s hand and be a good girl”. They never saw him again.

Eva became plagued by nightmares after the death of her mother Esther aged 23, but confronted her phobia of the seas by locking herself in a cabin on a ship for four days.

The singer, from Japan Road, criticised the Titanic’s owners, White Star Line, for failing to provide enough lifeboats.

She once said: “If a ship is torpedoed, that’s war. If it strikes a rock in a storm, that’s nature. But just to die because there weren’t enough lifeboats, that’s ridiculous.”

The Wetherspoon chain named its pub in the High Road, Chadwell Heath, in her honour after her death.

Mr Watson will also talk about Fosbery, the defunct company based in Barking, which made life jackets used on the Titanic.

The presentation takes place at Valence House Museum in Becontree Avenue, Dagenham, at 10.30am on March 22. Entry costs £2 or £3.50 with sandwich and drink. For information call 020 8227 2034.