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Monday, July 21, 2008, 07:00
Torquay Museum is hosting an extensive exhibition about the world's most-famous ship, which struck an iceberg on April 15, 1912, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.
The sinking is one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters, inspiring numerous historians, authors and filmmakers during the past century.
Perhaps the best-known recreation of those events is James Cameron's blockbuster film Titanic, starring Leonardo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet, whose costumes make up part of the exhibition.
Among real-life passengers and crew aboard the Titanic on its fateful maiden voyage were John Hart, a third-class steward from Torquay, and Henry Forbes Julian, a world-renowned metallurgist living in Torquay.
As part of the museum's exhibition, there are two glass cases dedicated to these men.
One of them died during the catastrophe, the other lived.
John Hart's grandson, Christopher, would not be here today had it not been for a series of fortunate incidents that led to his relative's survival.
Christopher Hart, a managing partner at solicitor firm Hooper and Wollen, which is sponsoring the exhibition, officially opened the case dedicated to his grandfather.
He said: “Effectively, he was employed on a journey-by-journey basis.
“After each journey, the staff would be discharged and the port would be recorded in a book (pictured) but there's no port of discharge recorded for April 15, 1912.
“As a third-class steward for the White Star Line, he was accommodated in the bowels of the ship.
“When the Titanic struck the iceberg, he managed to escort two groups of 25 people to the ship deck and when he succeeded in getting the second group there, he was ordered to take charge of lifeboat 15, one of the last to leave the ship.
“That was how he made his legitimate escape. Had it not been for that order, he wouldn't have survived. Very few third-class passengers survived.
“Consequently, he was quite an important witness at the subsequent inquiry. He gave advice to the effect that the doors and the passageways weren't locked, but he'd had to make his way through a labyrinth of corridors.
“That was contradicted in the film, however, because passengers were shown trapped behind locked gates.
“My grandfather gave his son the middle name of Murdoch, after the officer who gave him the order to take charge of lifeboat 15.
“Even now, my father remains in touch with the Murdoch family.
“Torquay Museum has put on a super exhibition. It's particularly good on the White Star Line, which owned the Titanic. Visitors are able to see exactly how people 100 years ago lived.”
Among the exhibition items on show is a pocket watch that stopped at 2.28pm, the exact time it entered the water with its owner, who died, and a rare Steiff bear that belonged to another passenger.
There is also the jacket of Violet Jessop, an ocean liner stewardess and nurse who achieved fame by surviving the disastrous sinkings of two sister ships — the RMS Titanic and the HMHS Britannic in 1916.
In addition, she had been on board the one other ship of that class, the RMS Olympic, when it collided with the HMS Hawke in 1911.
Henry Forbes Julian was among the Titanic passengers fated to die on April 15, 1912.
He had married Hester Pengelly, daughter of the Torquay Museum's founder, William Pengelly, at Upton Church 10 years earlier.
The bride's sister, Lydia, organised a reception at Torquay Museum in the room where the exhibition is now based.
Henry was not supposed to be on the Titanic. He was due to set sail on another White Star Line ship, the Olympic, but a book he was writing was completed a couple of weeks late, so his ticket was transferred to the Titanic.
While aboard, he wrote three times to Hester. She would have been with him but decided not to travel because she had flu. His last letter was written on the April 11, 1912.
A survivor of the disaster later reported seeing Henry among a group of first-class passengers helping women and children on to the lifeboats as the Titanic sank.
Barry Chandler, Torquay Museum curator, said that when he heard that the exhibition was touring Britain he was keen to secure it for Torbay.
He added: “The exhibition became available and, with the local connections, we thought it would be a good idea.
“Forbes Julian was the main reason, but the addition of the John Hart details was great.
“We're getting a lot of inquiries about the exhibition. It is the first place people come to in the museum.”
As part of the Titanic exhibition, which runs until August 26, Torquay Museum is running a raffle in which people can win a replica of the necklace worn by Kate Winslet in the film.
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