Titanic and Swansea Connection

Today, I want to write a blog and look a little further back to 1912, and about the Titanic

Using extract from an article I wrote for the Bay Magazine and published April 2016. As we know at the time the Titanic was the biggest ship to have graced the waves, having been constructed at the Harland and Wolff shipyard, Ireland. Once completed, she carried out a few sea trials, 2nd April and was brought over the Southampton, to be loaded with coal and eventually passengers.

During 1912 saw the first National coal strikes in the United Kingdom, the strike which began in February of 1912, was started by the coal miners securing a minimum wage. Over a million miners took part. After 37 days it ended in April. This caused problems for trains and shipping.

At the time coal, for the Titanic was taken off from other ships at port. Most of the coal came from the Welsh mines.

The Titanic set sail from Southampton, 10th April, en route to Cherbourg, France, picking up passengers and mail, to Queenstown, Ireland passengers added and dropped off and then off to New York.

We all know that the ship never made it and sank on the 15th April, wit the loss of over 1,500 lives.

Swansea had a connection with Titanic, and below is names of the passengers and crew and where they survived or died.

They were David Bowen, boxer (victim) Evan Davies, Swansea Valley (victim); Wilfred Cyril Foley, Swansea born (survivor); William John Rogers, Swansea valley (victim); Robert William Norman Leyshon, living in Swansea; his father was a prominent Swansea solicitor (victim); Owen Wilmore Samuel, worked and lived at Ben Evans, Temple Street (victim) and Leslie Williams, boxer (and victim).

Below is an extract from the magazine, from Mrs Mosley

My mother’s first husband was on board the Titanic. Leslie Williams, 28, (pictured below) came from Tonypandy and was a professional boxer. Travelling on the same ticket was a fellow boxer, David Bowen from Treorchy, Rhondda. Their manager, Charles A. Barnett had arranged a series of boxing fights in America for them. The two men boarded the Titanic at Southampton. Both men lost their lives in the sinking.

Leslie Williams was the 14th body to be recovered by the cable repair ship Mackay Bennett. Leslie was identified by his effects. He was wearing at the time, a blue serge suit, a red striped shirt, two scarves and a green overcoat. His effects included, two pocket books; two gold rings; a pair of silver cuff links; a ticket; papers; a pocketknife; $30 in gold; £3 10s and £2 6s 6d. in silver and copper coins. All his effects were returned to my mother who wanted Leslie to be brought back to Wales for burial. Unfortunately Leslie had been buried at sea on 22nd April 1912. His friend, David Bowen was never recovered. At the time of the sinking, Leslie and my mother had one son, also named Leslie, she gave birth to their second son, Harold in July 1912. My father, Dan Winter promised that if anything were to happen to Leslie he would look after my mother, which he did and they finally got married in 1914.

It is only emerged this year, 2017, that the Titanic didn't sink from directly hitting the ice berg, but from a fire in the coal bunk which weakened the the iron sheets of the ships, when the ship hit the iceberg the weakness caused the the the split