National Museums Liverpool Blog - titanic

Walking to the office this morning there is already a sense of anticipation and excitement for the Sea Odyssey event which starts today until Sunday. I saw the diver puppet half submerged in Salthouse Dock.

The event was inspired by May McMurray’s letter which is part of the Merseyside Maritime Museum archives and library collection. May wrote a letter to her father William McMurray and sadly he never received it. It was returned to the family unread. The letter is currently on display in the Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story exhibition.

This weekend marks the end of another successful week for the exhibition which in three weeks has received over 100,000 visitors and we are all delighted by the overwhelming positive response from visitors. The curators have also been contacted by many relatives of crew and passengers who were on board Titanic.

To keep up to date with developments at the Merseyside Maritime Museum you can follow our twitter page and join our facebook.

Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition opens from 30th March 2012- 21 April 2013

We are appealing for string quartets of all ages to play this Saturday and Sunday

Do you play an instrument? No matter how old or young, or how long you’ve been playing, we’d love you to get involved in our Titanic Playathon this weekend at the Museum of Liverpool.

This Saturday and Sunday, we’re hosting a poignant tribute to the brave Titanic Orchestra, who courageously played as the Titanic sank on 15 April 1912.

Local string quartets are invited to take part in the Titanic Playathon which is aimed at sustaining constant live music throughout opening hours at the Museum.

Whether you’ve been playing for just a few months, but you’re a dab hand at 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', or you’re an accomplished group of musicians who can play 'Nearer my God to thee', we’d love you to be involved.

From 10am – 5pm on Saturday, and during longer opening hours on Sunday from 9am – 5pm to tie in with the city’s Sea Odyssey Giant Spectacular, performers will be able to take the baton and play in the Museum of Liverpool’s spectacular Atrium.

Our senior Education Manager at the Museum of Liverpool, Julia Bryan says: “The musicians who played on the Titanic were engaged by the agents Black Brothers of Liverpool, and we want to do something to mark the anniversary of the sinking that will serve as a reminder of the unselfish deeds of these men on that night.

“We’d love local people to get involved with the event and particularly welcome young performers and string quartets to come along and help us keep the music of the Titanic orchestra alive, in memory of the eight members of the orchestra, all of whom died that night.”

If you would like to come along and play, contact julia.bryan@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk for more information and to book a slot.

Over the weekend I met with Theatre in the Rough at the Merseyside Maritime Museum who are a charity which promote new writing for the stage by young people aged 13-25 from across Greater Merseyside.
This year the group are developing a series of plays about Titanic and Liverpool, the maritime history department were approached by acclaimed Liverpool playwright Chris Fittock who is artistic director for Theatre in the Rough. We provided a Titanic presentation for these budding new writers, drawing upon the themes from the new exhibition Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Their writing will result in ten new monologues and ten short audio-plays about Titanic and Liverpool, drawing upon real life stories and experiences. A locally-curated exhibition and live music will also feature within a festival which takes place 3rd -7th July, Old Christ Church, Waterloo, Liverpool which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England. For further information please see their website.

Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition opens from 30th March 2012- 21 April 2013.

James Johnston was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland in 1871 and he lived in Liverpool with his wife and five children. He worked for White Star Line and boarded Titanic for her delivery voyage from Belfast as a first class steward.

Millvina Dean was born in London in 1912 and boarded Titanic in Southampton. She was only six weeks old and she was travelling as a third class passenger with her family who are moving to America to start a new life.

Joseph Philippe Lermercier Laroche was born in Haiti on 26th May 1886. He left home aged 15 and travelled to France to study engineering. He met his wife Juliette and they had two daughters. They were travelling to Haiti as Joseph was trying to find work and Juliette was pregnant. They were second class passengers on board Titanic.

Although the largest vessel of her time, Titanic was an ordinary working ship. For the crew, it was just another voyage - many had worked on other White Star Line ships and were expecting to reach their destination safely. Passengers were travelling for a variety of reasons, returning home, going to see loved ones, starting a new life. Whilst researching for the Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition it became very clear that these were ordinary people who were going about their lives.

The lives of James, Millvina and Joseph are only a selection of the people who boarded Titanic in 1912 and who are featured in the Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story exhibition at MMM. Before you enter the exhibition you can select a card featuring a person who boarded Titanic and find out their fate at the end of the exhibition: did these people survive the most famous maritime disaster in history? Amongst all the myths and world wide interest surrounding Titanic, the simple and most important aspect is the loss of life and the many lives affected.

Titanic & Liverpool- The Untold story exhibition is open from 30 March 2012- 21 April 2013

White star liner Olympic - sister of Titanic - looking aft (1920). Reproduced by permission of English Heritage: BL24990/021

To commemorate the Titanic centenary, we're offering you the chance to win an A3 mounted print of either Titanic's sister ship RMS Olympic or the White Star Line's Liverpool offices! 

One runner up will receive a copy of 'Titanic and Liverpool' by Alan Scarth and a photography book which accompanies our current exhibition at the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

To enter, you need to answer this question:

Which photographer(s) were commissioned by the White Star Line to photograph RMS Olympic in 1920? 

a) Edward Chambre Hardman

b) Bedford Lemere & Co

c) Henri Cartier-Bresson

Hint: Check the Lady Lever Art Gallery website!

Send your answer to us at prizedraw@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk  

or by post to: Titanic print competition, National Museums Liverpool, Marketing & Communications, 127 Dale Street, Liverpool. L2 2JH

The competition closes on Thursday 3 May at 12 noon.

Good luck!

The Willet Bruce Tri-Tone steam whistle which was from the ship MV Britannic (1930-1960) is one of the objects which will be on display in the Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition.

The steam whistles for Olympic and Titanic were the largest ever made at the time and could be heard for over a distance of 11 miles. This whistle is the same type as those found on Olympic and Titanic but it is quarter their size.
It was designed by William Joseph Willet Bruce who was a manager and engineers superintendent of White Star Line’s workshops on Strand Road, Bootle.

The steam whistle, which weighs just over quarter of a ton, was made by local firm Chadburn’s; William Chadburn lived at 15 Beach Lawn, Crosby which was two doors away from Thomas Ismay’s home who was the then chairman of White Star Line.

There were many Liverpool firms involved in supplying fittings and materials for the construction of Olympic and Titanic. One example is Thomas Utley & Company of Silverdale Avenue who made Titanic’s bells and over 1200 portholes each for both ships. You can find out more about the local firms in the book ‘Titanic and Liverpool’ by Dr Alan Scarth which offers an excellent insight into Titanic’s Liverpool links and whose research formed the basis of the content for this exhibition.

Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition opens 30th March 2012

Bye for now.

Some of the key objects on display in the Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition is telegrams from the Merseyside Maritime Museum’s extensive archive and library collection. These messages sent and received using the Marconi wireless on the rescue ship Carpathia between 15-17 April 1912, when Titanic’s survivors were rescued and taken to New York.

Messages were sent by Captain Rostron, as well as Bruce Ismay and many other survivors who wanted to pass on news that they were safe and also about the loss of loved ones. We have selected six messages from the collection which will be displayed in the 2hr 40 minutes area of the gallery, which takes its name from the time it took Titanic to sink.

These telegrams are poignant messages that communicate the enormous events in just a few words. For example, one telegram from Bruce Ismay on board Carpathia to P.A.S. Franklin, vice president White Star Line, New York 17 April 1912-

Deeply regret advise you Titanic sank this morning fifteenth after collision iceberg resulting serious loss of life, further particulars later

Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story opens Friday 30th March 2012.

I’m really exited to announce that the Britannic (III) bell was the first object to be installed for the exhibition. I met with our handling and transport team Monday morning and it’s always fascinating to watch these guys work. One of main assets within NML is the collections the bold and beautiful items that range from the very small to the very large. The Maritime Museum collections include the pilot cutter Edmund Gardner – the largest accessioned object in National Museums Liverpool – as well as delicate paper items from our archives.

The logistics involved in handling and transporting this wide range of objects is just one of the important behind the scenes jobs involved in museum and art gallery work.

The Britannic Bell will be displayed in the ‘Living On’ section of the exhibition.  The significance of the Britannic (III) bell is that the ship which was built in 1930 was the last to sail under White Star Line colours. Together with the Georgic, both ships were the last to be built before the company was finally merged with Cunard in 1934. You can follow exhibition news on our Twitter account @MerseyMaritime and the Merseyside Maritime Museum facebook page.

Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story opens 30th March 2012.

Bye for now.

The BBC visited the Titanic, Lusitania and Forgotten Empress gallery at the Merseyside Maritime Museum this week and interviewed Ian Murphy, curator of Maritime History and Deputy Director of the Merseyside Maritime Museum. They were filming the Harland & Wolff builders’ model of Titanic which is a permanent feature of the gallery.

This year is an important one for Titanic which sank 100 years ago in April 1912. This unique six metre long model was built between 1910-11and has a very interesting history. The model was altered many times over the years by Harland & Wolff and it has represented all White Star Olympic Class liners: - Olympic, Titanic and Britannic.

It was first constructed to represent Olympic and Titanic. After Titanic sank in 1912 the model was altered and extra life boats were added when it represented Britannic. Sadly Britannic hit a mine in 1916 and sank during the First World War. The model was then changed again to represent Olympic.

Look out for the Titanic model on the BBC news in April. The new exhibition Titanic and Liverpool: The untold story opens 30th March 2012.

Bye for now.

Can you help us put a face to a Liverpool related Titanic passenger? Victor Giglio was a first class passenger on the ill-fated liner and we’d like to find more information and a photo of this victim of the disaster.

 Victor was valet to American multi-millionaire Ben Guggenheim and the two men deliberately dressed in evening clothes as the huge liner slowly sank. Ben, closely attended by Victor, was heard to say: “We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.”

Ian Murphy, curator of maritime history, says: “There are about a dozen individuals and families called Giglio in the Merseyside area. Very little is known of Victor’s early life and we would like to find out more.

“So far our researches have drawn a blank but we are hoping there are descendents of Victor Giglio still in the area although he left as a small child. We know that he had several brothers who may have settled here and have relatives.”

Anyone who can help is asked to contact titanic@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk or ring 0151 478 4417.

The exhibition Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story opens at Merseyside Maritime Museum on 30 March 2012.