Last Friday evening, we met at Monkton Priory Church Hall for a talk by Terry John. Terry has helped us a great deal in our research. Together we have worked on a series of interpretation boards outlining Pembroke's history. An interesting and popular speaker, he is very much in demand and his subject on Friday was 'Titanic- fact and fiction'.

Titanic - the 'unsinkable ship'

It was exactly 100 years ago that the Titanic sank, one of the most famous shipping disasters of all time. There have been many ships sunk with tragic loss of life - but there is something about the Titanic ... she could be said to represent the pinnacle of luxury and industrial progress for the Edwardian era, a veritable symbol of an Age.

Titanic embarked on its maiden voyage with approximately 2,200 people on board. In steerage were many working-class Europeans eager to emigrate to America where a new life and economic prosperity beckoned. Emigration was in fact a driving force behind the competition to build bigger steamships. But the fame of the White Star's latest and largest ship was based on its advertised luxuries and the famous names who had been lured by the prestige of participating in Titanic's maiden voyage. Here were one of the largest groups of wealthy and fashionable people ever assembled: millionaires and their wives, novelists and painters. As newspaper headlines blurted the story of Titanic's sinking to a world that had been revelling in the wonder of technological achievements, the shock was immense. Claims of building at last an unsinkable ship were shattered.

Interest has not waned and has given rise to numerous books and films. This is probably why so many stories have grown about her, and Terry in his talk, attempted to unravel fact from fiction, examining conflicting claims, misconceptions and stories of survivors.

Premonitions

When Terry examined the claims of premonitions, of people feeling great unease about the ship, he concluded that there was apparently some truth there. He then produced a copy of a book written 20 years before the event which was called 'Wreck of the Titan - the doomed unsinkable ship'. Written by Morgan Robertson, it told the story of a ship which was hailed the fastest and biggest of its day, and sank after hitting an iceberg with large loss of life - the resemblance was uncanny, almost foretelling what would happen. Great stuff. I have since looked on Amazon and found that it is actually available - I have ordered my copy!

Heroism to the end

One cannot help feeling affected by the story. The panic that must have set in on the realisation that the ship was going down into the icy ocean in the dark of night. Yet in the face of doom, there are stories of great heroism - the rule of women and children first was rigidly adhered to and it would appear that a number of male passengers were shot to prevent them rushing into the lifeboats. And to the very end the heroic band played on - first jolly music 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' then as the situation was hopeless 'Nearer my God to thee'.

Halifax

A few months ago, I wrote about my trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, with husband Stuart and our visit to the Museum of the Atlantic which contained an exhibition about the Titanic and its aftermath - for, while the survivors were shipped to New York, it was to Halifax that the recovered bodies were taken. We were very much taken up with the story and it led to us making a tour of the Titanic sites, including the cemeteries where many of the victims were buried. Such was the interest in Terry's talk that I said I would show the photographs I took at our next coffee morning - October 6 - following the talk by another popular speaker, John Brock MBE.

Back on dry land...

Last week, I wrote about the forthcoming vintage car rally on the Commons car park on Saturday, September 29, and I am pleased to be able to show you here an amazing photograph. I have to thank Mrs. Rose Allen-Mirehouse for this photograph of her husband, John's great-grandfather Colonel Richard Walter Byrd Mirehouse in DE 1 - the first car to be registered in Pembrokeshire! It was taken in the stable yard at Angle with The Hall in the background. Someone may be able to fill me in on the make?

Driving to Freshwater East

One of the first families in Pembroke to own cars was the Colley family. I became friendly with the late Joyce Colley when I first began collecting oral histories of Pembroke people. Joyce and I became friends and she was a mine of information. I learnt so much about old Pembroke from her - she loved talking about old times and I loved listening to her. I once asked her about the first car her family had owned and this is what she said:

"The first car the family had belonged to one of the older boys and he had what was called a Humbrette, a small saloon car which had a hood which could folded back if necessary - just a two seater. At the time, we had a bungalow at Freshwater East, and one Sunday, mother busily cooked our Sunday dinner during the morning at home to be driven over to us in Freshwater East. Now my brother used to smoke a pipe and as he was driving over to us he decided to light up. He said to my father, who was sitting next to him, "just take the wheel a minute dad" and with that the car went over the hedge and our Sunday dinner was all upset. We didn't have lunch that day! But I don't think the car was damaged - it went alright afterwards!"

A Rover on the South Quay

I remember showing Joyce some photographs of the old South Quay which I had acquired and she exclaimed 'that's our car'!

She continued: "The car originally belonged to my father. It was a Rover - BCJ 850. It was so lovely, dark olive green paintwork with beautiful green leather upholstery and all the dashboard was polished wood. It was absolutely beautiful. Father was very pleased with this car and must have acquired it in 1945, I think, almost immediately after the war. It was a 1938/39 model and they called it a Rover Sports Model. It was a very special one as only 500 were ever made - production was halted because of the war. It is actually still in existence and belongs to my nephew in Yorkshire - it is probably the only one of the model in existence anywhere."

Any more car stories? Classic cars that is - not so enamoured with our modern models!