Letters from the Titanic

Titanic Letters broadcast on Radio Ulster.

First transmission 9^th April 2012, currently available on BBC Iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01fm59q/Titanic_Letters_Episode_1/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2284933

Commemorating the 100^th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Radio Ulster aired a series of short programmes that paid tribute to the men and women who sailed aboard the ship in 1912. Over the course of two weeks, 42 letters written by passengers of the Titanic, were read by 42 famous voices, including the likes of Amanda Burton and Eamon Holmes, who bought to life the voices of those once aboard the ill-fated ship. Each segment was narrated by Ciarán Hinds who provided context for each letter, informing you about the individual, their life, job, family and perhaps most poignantly, their fate.

Listeners were introduced to Ida Strauss; a woman deemed a symbol of female strength and loyalty for choosing to go back to her cabin and die beside her husband, as well as the letters of Albert George Irvine an engineer, and Harry Bristow a saloon steward, who both wrote of life aboard the ship.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

I came across this series purely by accident, but immediately fell in love with the concept. The story of the Titanic is a familiar one to modern society. James Cameron’s 1997 film and Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On have immortalised it in popular culture, but I what I love about this series, is that it allowed the audience a direct channel into the past. As a listener you heard the voice of the passengers and their amazement at the ship they were aboard. Listening to the words that passengers had written offered an intimate and personal view point, which demonstrated their innocence. They didn’t know what awaited them; they were purely enjoying being part of this magnificent ship’s first journey. These letters offer an untold story that tears away the Hollywood glamour that encases most modern accounts.

Screen Shot of
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/titanic/

The anniversary didn’t really register with me at the time but coming across this series I thought I’d see what else was done to mark the centenary. A quick Google search revealed that a memorial service was held at St. Mary’s Church, Southampton and at a number of other churches across the UK, as well as in Canada and the USA. There were also various television and radio programmes, the most well remembered probably being the Downton-esque drama written by Julian Fellowes. However, it’s the website launched by the National Archives that I really want to draw attention to (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/titanic/). If offers a vast range of sources and builds on the ideas and themes raised by the Radio Ulster series. It has biographical accounts, images, videos and podcasts where people can engage with the true story of the Titanic.

Image - Titanic in Numbers from
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/titanic/

While dramatizations help to popularise history and encourage engagement with it, they can all too often pollute the truth and I think the story of the Titanic is a classic example. The resources produced in the wake of the centenary take it back to a grass-roots level and reintroduce the first-hand experience. The events of the Titanic happened to real people and this radio series and the resources on the National Archive website remind us of this. They have also left me with the desire to visit the museum in Ireland! Surely that’s an indication of successful public engagement with the past?



The Iconic Staircase from aboard HMS Titanic
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2284933