Family Tree UK – April 2026 – Family Tree UK

Almost half were crew. Genealogist Nicola Johnson explores the working world that history forgot. Lost Workforce to New York, Clifford and the other bell boys got to the lifeboat deck but were then ordered to remain where they were. As crew, they were not classed as children and could not get a place in the lifeboats, which did not have room for everyone on board. All three bell boys perished when the ship went down.

They were just fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen years old. Clifford’s brother Charles, a nineteen-year-old steward, also died that night – so two teenage sons from the same family were lost in one fateful night at sea, but their story is rarely told. In my work with Titanic families, I’m often struck by how many crew stories have faded from public memory, despite their central role in the disaster. A multitude of Titanic books and films tends to centre on the same familiar passengers or the same ixteen-year-old Clifford Harris died on RMS Titanic because he was ‘just’ a member of the crew.

He was a bell boy, earning £2 for the voyage, one of the youngest workers on board when the Titanic sailed from Southampton on 10 April 1912. When the world’s largest ship began to sink after hitting the infamous iceberg on her way The SS Titanic seen at night whilst visiting Cherbourg on the evening of 10 April 1912 Sign up for weekly news & advice www.family-tree.co.uk/newsletter-sign-up small group of crew: the captain on the bridge, the lookouts who spotted the iceberg, the wireless operators sending distress calls and the musicians who famously played on as the ship sank below their feet.

These accounts are compelling, but the crew was far more than its headline characters.

The Gazette is on Search the UK’s official public record and discover millions of notices that could help you learn more about your ancestors  Military service awards  Mentioned in despatches  Officer promotions  Civilian awards  New Year and Birthday Honours  Naturalisation notices 1844 – 1980  Deceased estates notices  Insolvency records And many more!

BRING YOUR FAMILY TREE TO LIFE WITH THE GAZETTE Create a free account and get started www.thegazette.co.uk www.family-tree.co.uk Helen Tovey EDITOR [email protected] ome stories from history are headline topics that we come across time and again – in books and blogs, documentaries and fi lms. Th e sinking of the Titanic is one such famous event from the past – and we can all probably rattle off the key details about this iconic vessel, its glittering roll call of passengers, and its ultimately tragic end.

However, when the Titanic is visited from a family history perspective we gain a whole new understanding. Th is is just what Nicola Johnson invites us to consider in her article about the workforce on the ship – the greasers, trimmers, carpenters, stewards, fi remen and more. As family historians we have the honour of revisiting the original records, of looking at the granular detail, and of piecing together the life stories of individuals.

Our goal is to try our best to understand: what happened in this person’s life? Who were they? Th is careful approach to the past, the attention to detail, is where remarkable new stories about well-trodden events come to light, and where we come the closest we can to the life stories of those who came before us. Why family history matters – for Why family history matters – for every single one of us Find advice to get started at www.family-tree.co.uk/ getting-started Just starting your family history?

May issue of Family Tree is on sale from 10 April Family Tree is published by Warners Group Publications plc, and printed by Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, UK. Newstrade distribution by Warners (Midlands) plc. facebook.com/familytreemaguk www.family-tree.co.uk @familytreemagazine Please fi nd our contact details on page 73, or join the Family Tree community online, see below: Like to get in touch with us?

@familytreeplus.bsky.social www.youtube.com/@familytreeplus @familytreemaguk PS For FREE weekly family history advice, make sure you’re signed up to the Family Tree enewsletter: www.family-tree.co.uk/newsletter-sign-up The graves of 121 of those who perished in the sinking of the Titanic can be found at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 6 FAMILY HISTORY NEWS Read up on new family history-related projects & developments 10 SOME OF OUR CENSUSES ARE MISSING David Annal tells us how a small percentage of census returns have been lost, damaged or destroyed over time 18 DEAR PAUL…

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 7e869d4e4d2bc6d5
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 34,753,016 bytes (33.143 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9781398122970
• Pages: 77
• Language: English (en)

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