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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Expression “Women and Children First” Come From When Abandoning Ship?

Where Did the Expression “Women and Children First” Come From When Abandoning Ship?

July 15, 2020 by Karen Hill

In 1852, the HMS Birkenhead was off to war in South Africa when she ran aground and sank off the coast of the Cape.

The only useable lifeboats were quickly filled by the 20 women and children on board, while the 476 soldiers lined up on deck to go down with the ship.

This is where the tradition of “women and children first” was born, and in naval circles is still called “the Birkenhead drill.”

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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