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Titanic and
Liverpool - the untold story
THE only known surviving Titanic
1st class ticket and other rarely seen items linked to the disaster
are displayed in Liverpool to mark the 100th anniversary of the
sinking.
The ticket belonged to Reverend Stuart Holden, vicar of St Paul's
Church, Portman Square, London. His wife became ill the day before
the Titanic sailed, forcing him to cancel his voyage. Mr Holden had
the ticket mounted and kept it above his desk until his death in
1934.
A compelling new exhibition explores little-known links between
Titanic and Liverpool, the city that inspired the biggest ship in
the world doomed to be most notorious shipwreck in history.
'Titanic and Liverpool - the untold story,' opens at Merseyside Maritime
Museum on 30 March 2012, in time for the 100th anniversary of the
sinking on 15 April 1912, when more than 1,500 people lost their
lives.
The exhibition explores Liverpool's central role in the Titanic
story. Told from perspectives of key personalities in the drama, it
gives a unique insight into events surrounding the launch, voyage,
the sinking and its aftermath. This is an incredible story told from
a new angle. The year long show draws on Merseyside Maritime
Museum's previously unseen unique collections of international
significance including material from the museum's extensive
archives.
It complements Merseyside Maritime Museum's existing exhibition, the
hugely popular Titanic, Lusitania and the Forgotten Empress, which
opened in 2007, featuring the original 20 ft long Titanic builder's
model.
Titanic, Lusitania and the Forgotten Empress also features personal
things belonging to those on board, a lifejacket, lifeboat items and
many other exhibits including probably the only clothing worn on the
night of the disaster in a public display. Rachel Mulhearn, director
of Merseyside Maritime Museum, says:- "Titanic was built as a
result of Liverpool's leading position as a major world port. The
city and its people are at the heart of the story. Not
only was the Titanic's sinking a major world event, the tragedy was
a bitter blow to the port and the people of Liverpool. The new
exhibition lifts the lid on this largely-overlooked turmoil in the
wake of the sinking which resounds to this day."
'Titanic and Liverpool - the untold story', is part of the National
Museums Liverpool's Liverpool and the World exhibition series
part-funded by the European Union and the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF).
Councillor Phil Davies, ERDF North West Local Monitoring Committee
member says:- "Titanic and Liverpool will be a highlight of
the region's cultural calendar in 2012. This ambitious,
international exhibition will help fuel the North West visitor
economy and raise awareness of the region's fantastic cultural
offer. Liverpool is a culturally dynamic city and exhibitions such
as this demonstrate that we can deliver world-class visitor
experiences year-on-year."
Visitors in the new exhibition experience dark atmospheric spaces
forming the backdrop to a series of dramatically-lit areas, each
telling a part of the powerful story.
Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story follows these themes:-
Home Port sets the scene, introducing Liverpool and the main players
in the Titanic story. On display for the first time is the complete
Ismay Testimonial Silver; a stunning silver gilt table service
presented to Thomas Ismay, founder of the White Star Line that later
built Titanic.
Olympic Class introduces key people behind the idea, funding and
construction of Titanic and her sisters Olympic and Britannic. There
are fascinating ship facts including scale and size. Collections are
brought to life through photos, film footage, posters and pamphlets.
Shipbuilders Harland & Wolff exhibits include a controversial
lifeboat blueprint. Storylines look at leading personalities such as
J Bruce Ismay, head of the White Star Line, plus key Liverpool links,
including locations and suppliers.
Voyage introduces crew and passengers; important players with
Liverpool connections. The noise and bustle of the maiden voyage is
recreated. Some of the crew and passengers with Liverpool
associations are featured; the social structure on board is also
examined. Exhibits include dresses designed by passenger Lucy Duff
Gordon, tableware and the only surviving first class ticket.
2 hours 40 minutes spotlights human stories focusing on personal
experiences to capture the dramatic final hours of Titanic. Also
highlighted is the remarkable story of how the Cunard liner
Carpathia rushed to the scene and rescued all of the survivors.
Exhibits include telegrams chronicling the unfolding drama.
Aftermath looks at the media frenzy that followed the sinking;
contemporary newspapers and film, eye witness accounts and archive
collections including Titanic Relief Fund ephemera. This section
tells how Liverpool received the news and the impact it made,
survivors and the bodies of victims coming home, findings of the
official Inquiries and heroes and anti-heroes. Survivor J Bruce Ismay was heavily criticised, victim Captain Edward Smith
immortalised and Captain Arthur Rostron made a hero.
Living On is a brief epilogue of life after Titanic and how key
players coped with life after the disaster. Following the release of
the feature films A Night to Remember (1958) and James Cameron's
Titanic (1997), the Titanic story enters many areas of popular
culture with numerous myths and conspiracy theories. This section
includes film props used in Titanic and poignant items salvaged from
the wreck.
Among the many featured
personalities are:-
J Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line, who controversially
survived the disaster in one of the last lifeboats to leave the
stricken liner.
Captain Edward Smith, the veteran master approaching retirement when
he went down with his ship.
Fred Barrett, one of Titanic's
firemen who described the turmoil in the engine room as water
flooded through the ship.
Fred Clarke, a member of the
ship's specially-hired band who all died after they heroically
played on as the ship sank.
Fred Fleet, abandoned as a child in Liverpool, was the lookout who
spotted the iceberg. He survived after taking charge of a lifeboat.
As well as the first class ticket,
exhibits include the Ismay Testimonial Silver; a stunning
parcel-gilt dinner service presented to White Star founder Thomas Ismay, father of J Bruce Ismay. This is the first time the entire
table service has been on public display together.
There are letters from passengers, many photos including J Bruce
Ismay and crew survivors returning to Liverpool, an original copy of
the British Inquiry proceedings, postcards from passengers and crew
plus items recovered from the wreck.
A Titanic launch pamphlet recalls the pride and confidence in the
new liner while telegrams from the rescue ship Carpathia reflect
emotions after the disaster.
More information can be found
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Liverpool to be
Infected by Zombie Outbreak
SMASH hit zombie chase
game, 2.8 Hours Later, is continuing its reign of terror across the
UK, bringing its zombie menace to Liverpool in May 2012.
2.8 Hours Later will take place in Liverpool's city centre on 4
consecutive nights from 16 May 2012. The hunt for zombie volunteers
to do the chasing and scaring is now on.
The game, which is the brainchild of Bristol game designers,
SlingShot, is touring across the country, starting out in Glasgow on
Wednesday. It has already proved so popular in its first outing
north of the border (tickets sold out within 18 hours), that a 2nd
staging of the game will take place the following weekend, on 5
April to 7
April 2012. London, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton and Bristol are all
being considered as further locations.
2.8 Hours Later is a thrilling night time chase game. It is played
across an inner city backdrop, and sees multiple secret locations
transformed into zombie film sets and populated by a cast of
survivors and zombies.
Players hit the streets in waves after dark to outwit and outrun the
zombies as they hunt for clues to the whereabouts of Resistance HQ,
the last safe place in the city. Using their mobiles, they are also
able to call or text in to get game updates and safety information.
Since it was premiered in 2010, 2.8 Hours Later has been played by
over 6,000 players in Bristol, London and Leeds. Tickets sell out
within days with over 17,000 fans following the game's every move on
Facebook, and putting in bids for their cities to host the
adrenaline-fuelled zombie gore fest.
Liverpool was chosen as the next location, partly due to votes cast
on the game's website (2.8hourslater.com) and partly due to its
layout and history. They city's dense network of streets and
Victorian heritage make Liverpool an ideal location for the game.
SlingShot Director, Simon Evans, said:- "Liverpool is an
incredibly evocative place. It's a grand city and I think its
Victorian heritage and old warehouses will be ideal for creating the
kind of spine-tingling, scary atmosphere that we need for the game.
I think the people of Liverpool will love the game, too. It's a very
social piece of entertainment, and it's very humorous. It's pop
cultural, which should fit right in with the city that gave us The
Beatles."
The game has a cast of hundreds of zombie volunteers, who chase,
groan and scare players along the route. Local zombie fans can sign
up for zombie school, a one-stop shop for all things zombie.
Volunteers practice their zombie moves, learn how to play safely
and, if they graduate, are given the opportunity to help SlingShot
transform Liverpool into the zombie apocalypse. Wannabe zombies can
register for zombie school
online.
2.8 Hours Later will be taking place in Liverpool from 16 May to 19 May
inclusive. Tickets for the first Glasgow game are now sold out, but
tickets for the second game, 5 April to 7 April, are now available.
Tickets cost £28 and are available from the
website.
SlingShot is planning further dates and locations for 2012. Fans can
catch up with the latest news on the 2.8 Hours Later
Facebook
page.
4 jailed in 'chainsaw' VAT fraud
4 men have been jailed for their part in a plot to steal nearly
£290,000 in a VAT repayment fraud by claiming to trade in chainsaws
that didn't exist.
Dawn raids on domestic and business premises in 2010 by HM Revenue &
Customs (HMRC) resulted in the arrest of 4 men from Staffordshire
and the North West.
Adrian Farley, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC,
said:- "These men were driven by greed and thought they could
line their pockets with money that should be paying for our public
services. But they were mistaken, and today they are paying the
price for their crime."
The defendants maintained they were trading in top end chainsaws
when in fact the goods never existed, in a version of 'missing
trader' fraud. They attempted to steal £290,000, but were stopped by HMRC after fraudulently reclaiming £169,000 in VAT repayments.
'Missing trader' fraud sees the creation of a contrived chain of
companies, which reclaim VAT they have never actually paid on the
sale of equipment in the UK and when the goods are exported.
Confiscation proceedings to reclaim the proceeds of the crime are
underway.
CAREERS ADVICE TO SCHOOLS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
UNISON, the UK's largest union, said that
advice being issued to schools on their new duties to provide career
guidance, is "too little too late." The union had previously called
for safeguards on quality to be written into legislation, instead 8
months ago the government promised a watered down alternative;
'Statutory Schools Guidance', which was launched 26 March
2012.
The Guidance aspires to a quality careers advice for young people,
but does not give schools the funding to deliver it. Schools will
not get the £200 million previously set aside to fund careers advice
for young people; which calls into question the Government's
commitment to delivering a quality service.
Jon Richards, UNISON Head of Education, said:- "The Government
has handed over the responsibility for providing careers advice to
schools but not the money to support the service. They have finally
issued guidance to schools a few days before the launch of the new
National Careers Service, and with little time for schools to
commission careers services to start from this autumn. They are
passing the buck without giving schools the time or the money
necessary to help young people get onto the jobs ladder.
To make it worse the decimation of the Connexions service means that
current careers advice is a shambles in many areas. Just when our
young people need it most, hundreds of thousands across England will
have either very limited, or even no access to 'face-to-face' career
guidance. The class of 2012 will be the least informed about their
career options at a time when they need to know the most."
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