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Painting by Ross Campbell,
Andrews Memorial Primary School
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The unsinkable ship
Belfast is the birthplace of the "unsinkable"
Titanic, the most magnificent vessel of her time,
doomed to hit a giant iceberg on her maiden and
final voyage.
2002 saw the 90th Anniversary of the extraordinary day (2nd April 1912) when she left Belfast for the first and last time.
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Andrews Memorial Hall, Comber
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The designer
Belfast is not the only place in Northern Ireland
to feel a special connection with the ill-fated
ship. Comber in County Down was the home of Thomas
Andrews, Chief Designer of the Titanic. Lost in
the disaster, his epitaph 'Heroic unto death'
indicates the selfless manner of his dying. Eyewitness
accounts of the final minutes before the vessel
sank below the waves, tell of him throwing deckchairs
overboard in an attempt to help people struggling
for life in the freezing water.
In 1914 the 'Thomas Andrews Jnr. Shipbuilder,
Memorial Hall' was built in his memory (see adjacent
photograph, taken by Colin Booth) and the hall
is now an integral part of the Andrews Memorial
Primary School which bears his name. Today its
pupils continue to be proud of Thomas Andrews'
achievements and their town's links with this
great ship.
The link below has more information
on Thomas Andrews and Comber itself -
welcome
to Comber....
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Display by P4 pupils of
Andrews Memorial Primary School, Comber
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The Andrews Hall
The Andrews have been a prominent family in Comber for at least seven generations and it was they who provided ninety per cent of the original funding for the hall, with the remaining costs being met by public donations. For many years the Andrews Hall provided a social centre for the people of Comber, until in the 1970's it became the focal point for a new primary school.
Over the years pupils of the Andrews Memorial Primary School have produced some wonderful exhibitions about the Titanic. 2002 is no exception and, as Beth Gregg and Ryan Brown told the your place and mine team , the P4 classes have put together a display of their work in the hall.
( Listen to Beth Gregg and Ryan Brown) |
Other P4 pupils shared their thoughts about the Titanic...
"...one of the most amazing ships in the world
...there were 4 funnels but one was fake, because it was just for show and to help the Titanic look balanced.
... our school is named after Thomas Andrews."
(Joel Murray - Listen)
_________________________
"...I think the people must have been excited to see such a large ship leaving Belfast
...I think the builders should have listened to Thomas Andrews and put more lifeboats on instead of amusements...
...I feel sad that so many lost their lives."
(Jennie Gouck - Listen)
_________________________
"...it is fascinating how it could still keep going even if 4 of the watertight compartments were flooded.
...inside it had a heated swimming pool, a gym and magnificent first class dining rooms
...703 people got away."
(Emma Taylor - Listen)
_________________________
"...I think the story of Titanic was amazing
...but now I understand that it was built for 2,206 people to be on board."
(Nicola Jelly - Listen)
If you have a Titanic tale to tell, or there's a link between the Titanic and your family or area - we'd love to hear from you. |
Andrews Memorial pupil Hannah Sloan has a poem
written by her great, great aunt who went to school
with Thomas Andrews.
Listen to Hannah read the first verse.
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Picture by Luke Donaghy-Bell P4
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The Titanic 1912
What means that dark cloud gathering, Upon the sweet spring sky
What means that wail of anguish, We hear with many's a sigh
What means the muffled bells tolling, And flags at half mast fly
Oh tell the meaning gently, In accents sad and low
For far across the ocean, Has sped the tale of woe
It tells us the Titanic. Has sunk beneath the main
With sixteen hundred souls on board, Who will n'eer return again.
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Picture by Corey Gilmore P4
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They little thought who joined that ship, Upon her maiden voyage
That beneath the Atlantic wave, Shewould be their sepulchure
For there today in that lone grave, Sleeps science, wealth and fame
With their humbler brothers, And toilers of the main
Brave sons of Erin to sleep there, Who were forced by want to roam
And seek a fairer fortune, In a foreign land
In sorrow they were forced to part, From friends and loved ones dear.
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Picture by Glenn Bailie P4
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And their last sight of Erin's shores, Looked dim through bitter tears
As they listened to the echo, Of that old familiar strain
Come back, oh come back to Erin again,
But alas they are gone, They will come back no more,
For they sleep in the deep Neath the wild western wave,
Where no loved one may ever weep o'er their lone grave,
But in their homes where loved one weep in sorrow and in pain
Their memory like old Erin's shores, Shall ever fresh remain.
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Poem written by Glenn Baillie
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Poem written by Andrew Thompson
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If you have a Titanic tale to tell, or there's a link between the Titanic and your family or area - we'd love to hear from you. Use the form at the bottom of the page or e-mail ypam-online@bbc.co.uk .
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