On the hottest day on record, we welcomed our first external speaker for two years. Mark Routh is a modern postcard dealer who recently appeared on Channel 4’s “Steph’s Packed Lunch”. The subject of Mark’s presentation was all things Titanic. The number of items on display, combined with Mark’s in-depth knowledge, made for a very informative evening.
Some of the items on display were signed by survivors of the disaster, including Millvina Dean, Beatrice Sandstrom, Eva Hart, Edith Haisman, and Eleanor Schuman. .
One of the oldest postcards in Mark’s collection showed the Titanic leaving Southampton on her maiden voyage on 10th April 1912. It was produced soon after the sailing and sold in shops before the disaster happened. .
We heard about one passenger who was on the maiden voyage from Southampton, a young priest by the name of Father Francis Browne. He was a keen photographer and took many photos of life aboard the ship, capturing the last known images of crew and passengers. Fortunately, he disembarked at Queenstown, and his photos were used prolifically after the disaster. .
Also on display were copies of press cuttings about Michel & Edmond Navratil (aged 4 and 2) known as the Titanic Orphans. Their mother and father were divorcing, and the father decided to abscond with his sons to New York using a false name. When tragedy struck, the father handed the boys to a female in one of the lifeboats; he did not survive. Nobody knew who the children belonged to as they only spoke French. Gradually newspaper articles about the boys made their way to Europe and the mother was eventually reunited with her children in New York and returned with them to their home in France. .
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