With the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic on 15 April 1912 only days away, we are hearing much in the media about the suffering and the loss of life of the passengers and crew on the ship (Report, 9 April). However, little is recorded of the 35 members of the engineering staff, all of whom lost their lives. With no survivors, the official inquiry into the sinking had no first-hand account of the actions and bravery of those men who stayed at their posts and endeavoured to save the ship from sinking.
Importantly, they also maintained electrical power to keep the lights on throughout the ship, thereby reducing the danger of panic among the passengers. Of course, the power to the radio office also enabled the transmission of distress signals until minutes before the ship sank beneath the waves.
The first legacy of this tragedy was the introduction of international requirements dealing with safe navigation, watertight and fire-resistant bulkheads, life-saving appliances, fire protection and firefighting appliances, which are updated under the Solas (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations ensuring safe passage of all ships.
The second was the initiation, by the Daily Chronicle, of the Titanic Engineering Staff Memorial Fund to assist the widows, orphans and dependants of the 35 engineers who lost their lives. The fund was, and is, administered by the Guild of Benevolence of the Institute of Marine Engineers (now the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology). Since the first world war the work of the guild has grown significantly, and it now provides support to marine engineers and their dependants worldwide.
The guild has published a 100th anniversary booklet commemorating the sacrifice made by the engineers of the Titanic – all donations will be used to support the work of the guild for the coming years.
