An unforgettable tragedy at sea in peace time

When I was telling you about all the unfortunate people who lost their lives from enemy action in the sea around my home in 1940 I postponed mention of the ship that was among the most famous in maritime history.    It was built in Belfast by Harland & Wolff and it was named RMS TITANIC.   It was said to be the largest afloat when it left Southampton for its maiden voyage in April 1912.    It called at CHERBURG  and also at COBH to pick up the rest of the passengers who had booked for the much heralded luxurious trip to New York.    The 2,214 people on board assumed that every necessity for comfort was provided.   Nobody suspected or worried about not carrying enough lifeboats for everyone.
It was from my mother that I first heard the sad story of the Titanic.  I think I was five years of age and I still remember the two of us crying while she spoke.  An eighteen year old cousin of hers who had grown up with her in Galway had planned to emigrate to the States and meet with an aunt who would find work for her.  She joined the Titanic at COBH.   Mama told me she was never heard of again.
Near midnight on the fourth day of the voyage the ship crashed into an iceberg  when still more than three hundred miles away from Newfoundland.   In the impact a number of the ships's watertight compartments were holed and sea water quickly fillled them.   The captain ordered the lifeboats to be lowered with women & children first.  Within three hours the ship that some thought was unsinkable broke into two parts and went down with over a thousand desperate people.
Three hundred and thirty three bodies were recovered over distances up to two hundred miles away.   Only
two thirds of them could be identified.   Many of the survivors lost their money and possessions.    In 1985 an American French expedition discovered the two parts of the ship - a third of a mile apart at a depth of  over three and a half miles.   The last of the survivors to die was Milvena Dean.   She was just two months old when she was rescued.   She died in Southampton at the age of 97.    It was recorded that when her father heard the collision he told his wife  to take Milvena and her brother up on deck.   The three of them were put on a lifeboat and they were among the first of the seven hundred and six who escaped. 
A liner called the Carpathia on its way from New York to Gibralter picked up a distress signal from the Titanic and its Captain Rostron immediately altered course.  At 4 a.m they sighted the first lifeboat which had only twenty five people on board  - indicating the panic there must have been when passengers were leaving the Titanic.  After picking up a total of 706 from the lifeboats they returned to New York with them. Captain Rostron and all of his crew were presented with medals by the survivors.   The captain was later knighted by King George V and awarded the Freedom of New York.

How Long Have I Got?

When I'm thinking of friends and days that are gone I cant help wondering how long I'm going to live.  Nearly all of those whom I grew up with are long gone and some of them were stronger and more athletic than I was.  As long as I have my wonderful wife, our three boys, their wives and our eight grandchildren and a hundred close friends I don't want to leave this wonderful world.  It has been good to me.  I have seen a fair bit of it and one of my few regrets is that I did not see more of it's wonderful people and it's sights. 

Last week I told you of a Vet friend I congratulated on reaching a century.  Mentally and physically he was a greater man than I ever was so I can't expect to live so long.  While I feel as well as I am I would like to carry on for a while.  I started losing my mates when I reached forty.  Every ten or twelve years I lost a few more friends than I gained.  When I entered my seventies my losses gradually increased.  During my eighties the numbers of losses often made me worry about death.  During the last two years I have stopped worrying.  Looking at the death notices now and again when idle I noticed that not many people above ninety seemed to be dying!  I had a look at the papers again last week and I couldn't see the name of a single fellow dying at ninety two!  That made me happy !  I went out to the pub with my mate David and had an extra pint on having safely passed through those dangerous ages.  When I got into bed I started worrying about all my mates of seventy and eighty now at risk.  I fell asleep thinking of ringing up William Hill in the morning to see what odds I could get on myself hanging on to be 93.