Mention RMS
Titanic and most people know something of its fate. The tale of RMS Lusitania, however, is somewhat less
well told. On Good Friday, I had the pleasure of visiting a new exhibition
called Lusitania: life, loss, legacy (Figure
81.1). The story of the eponymous ship has been beautifully explained, in
words, pictures, film reels and sound, at Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool
to mark the centenary of its tragic end.
Figure 81.1: The official poster, on display on the first floor of the museum
Copyright © 2015 Merseyside Maritime Museum
On 7th May, 1915, the ship, carrying 1,962 civilian
passengers, was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland (Figures
81.2 & 81.3)*. 1,198 souls perished at sea. The attack drew fury throughout
Great Britain and beyond, as the Lusitania
was a passenger liner and not, therefore, a legitimate wartime target. It was
one of the most infamous events of the First World War, and felt most
profoundly in Liverpool, from where many of its passengers originated.
Figure 81.2: An artist’s depiction of the U-boat
attack
Copyright © 2015 Merseyside Maritime Museum
Figure 81.3: A picture taken from the German
Federal Archive
Copyright expired
The exhibition’s curator, Eleanor Moffat, provides
a comprehensive account of the disaster, detailing the lives of those affected,
including its captain, William Turner (Figure 81.4), whose grave, incidentally,
lies in the same cemetery – Rake Lane, Wallasey – as those of several of my own
ancestors.
Figure 81.4: Commander William Thomas Turner, OBE,
RNR (1856-1933)
Copyright expired
My sons appreciated the exhibition as much as I did
(Figures 81.5 & 81.6). Both enjoyed viewing the video footage, but recoiled
at the realization that more than a thousand passengers were forced to
experience a premonition of their own deaths, as the stricken vessel listed
violently before being swallowed whole by a merciless ocean. Nothing, surely,
could be more terrifying than having such prior knowledge.
Figures 81.5 & 81.6: A day at the museum
Copyright © 2015 Paul Spradbery
Our thanks go to Eleanor Moffat and the many other contributors
for preparing this detailed portrayal, which serves as a poignant tribute to
those who lost their lives a century ago.
* This is the whole truth of the Lusitania ... or is it?
Happy Easter week to all.
Copyright © 2015 Paul Spradbery
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.