Pitman’s grave is located at St Leonard’s, Church Lane, Mill Lane off A359, Pitcombe, Somerset, BA10 0PE

 We invite members to join with Nigel Wright, in laying the society’s wreath at 10am on Saturday the 4^th August 2012.

Here are a selection of the photographs he took.

Mike’s report of the event will appear in the June 2012 edition of the Atlantic Daily Bulletin.

Note – We do not have any restriction on how many photos we can display here.

We are now busy preparing a report for the June Atlantic Daily Bulletin, but we have already received a number of feedback questionnaires from delegates and here are a selection of comments from them.

I was so impressed with how well organized it all was – well done!

The organisation of this event is outstanding  I persuaded a friend to join me this time and all I had told her was realized.  Absolutely superb as always.  Thank You.

A most memorable experience.  A superb weekend. 

Well done to the organisers an excellent convention appropriate for such a special occasion.

Please use Twitter to follow events at Convention 2012 in realtime @BritTitanicSoc via  www.twitter.com/BritTitanicSoc.

The convention became that busy, that we were unable to post in realtime updates – see the June 2012 issue of the Atlantic Daily Bulletin for a full report on the convention.

This post is now closed.

Thursday 12th April

11.00 am onwards

Wreath laying around Southampton.

To view a detailed schedule Click Here

1 pm

Visit to St. Joseph’s Church in Bugle Street to view the

memorial to the staff of Titanic’s á la carte restaurant.

3.00 pm–5.00 pm

Welcome desk open for registration and collection of welcome packs.

7.00 pm

Wide-screen showing of A Night To Remember in

the Harbour Lights Cinema at Ocean Village.

Friday 13th April

7.30 am onwards

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

9.30 am–1.00 pm

Tour of Titanic graves at Southampton Old Cemetery and Hollybrook Cemetery.

 Please assemble in the foyer of the hotel opposite reception.

2.00 pm–5.00 pm

Welcome desk open for registration and collection of welcome packs.

3.00 pm

Members’ Bring and Buy Sale in The Bradford & Winslow Suite,

which is located on the Mezzanine Floor of the hotel.

6.30 pm onwards

Dinner in the hotel restaurant.  Note – tea & coffee included.

There are no formal arrangements; please dine to suit yourselves.

8.30 pm

The play The Man Who Left the Titanic,

performed by Pat Abernethy and Dave Marsden.

10.15  pm approx

25th anniversary celebrations – Lounge bar of hotel.

Saturday 14th April

7.30 am onwards

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

9.00 am

Exhibition and sales tables open in the Mayflower Suite of the hotel.

Lecture Programme.

11.00 am–12 Noon

Icebergs and Shipping – Was the Titanic the Start of a Trend?

by Dr. Simon Boxall.

Simon is a lecturer in Oceanography at the University of Southampton,

National Oceanography Centre (UK).  He regularly appears on radio and TV news and

current affairs broadcasts relating to a broad range of ocean, coastal and climate issues,

and has been involved in documentaries for Channel 4, Sky, the BBC,

National Geographic and the Discovery Channels.

1.00 pm–2.00 pm

From the Potteries to the Titanic:

The Early Life and Career of Captain Smith

by Gary Cooper.

 Gary has been tracing the career of Captain E. J. Smith since 1987,

and is acknowledged as the foremost authority on his remarkable life.

12.15 pm-12.45 pm & 2.15 pm-2.45 pm. Book signings in the lecture room.

3.00 pm–4.00 pm

Robert Hichens: Titanic’s Helmsman

by Sally Nilsson.

Sally is the Great Granddaughter of Robert Hichens,

Quartermaster at the helm when Titanic hit the iceberg,

and has written a biography of this man’s fascinating life.

All lectures take place in the Mayflower Suite,

which is situated on the Ground Floor of the hotel.

4.00 pm

Exhibition and sales tables close.

5.00 pm–7.30 pm

Studio photographs in the foyer of the Mayflower Suite.

Saturday Evening

7.00–7.30 pm

Assemble in the Atrium for pre-dinner drinks prior to the Gala Dinner.

7.30 pm

Gala Dinner – Black tie/Edwardian/Titanic themed.

in the Mayflower Suite.

MENU

Starter

Shallot and Parmesan tart

Apply chutney & watercress

Main Course

Butter roasted breast of chicken

Savoy cabbage & Celeriac mash

Pancetta crisp & Mustard sauce

Dessert

Assiette of deserts –

warm chocolate pot, sorbet & mousse

Vegetarian Option

Courgette,

Roast Pepper and Halloumi Pithvier

Red Pepper Coulis

_______________

Freshly brewed tea and coffee

and

Home made petit fours.

9.00 pm

Speeches and Grand Titanic Raffle

11:30pm onwards

Memorial service.

Sunday 15th April

Breakfast in the restaurant and checkout for those not staying Sunday night.

Luggage may be left with the hotel Concierge until departure.

10.00 am

( Note – we will leave promptly at 10:10 am).

Delegates board coach for the transfer to Ocean Village, where we will

board the Blue Funnel catamaran MV Ocean Scene for our river cruise.

Please assemble in the foyer of the hotel opposite reception.

Delegates will take a river trip aboard Blue Funnel’s vessel Ocean Scene,

the vessel will hove to in the Ocean Dock from where Titanic set sail in 1912,

and a wreath will be dropped into the water

in remembrance of the 1523 souls who died in the tragedy.

Members on the river cruise will receive a simple

red or white carnation, for casting over the ship’s side.

There will then be a playing of Erin’s Lament

on the Uilleann pipes by Steve Turner.

After the river cruise, at approximately noon, we will

return to the hotel, again by coach, for Sunday lunch.

PLEASE BE PROMPT FOR THE COACH!

12.00 pm

Coach returns delegates to the hotel.

1.00 pm

Sunday lunch in the hotel restaurant.

After Lunch

End of Convention and homeward bound!

This is your chance to have the following books signed by the author on the historic date of the 14th April 2012.

Gary Cooper will be signing his book “Titanic Captain: The Life of Edward John Smith” – Gary has been tracing the career of Captain E. J. Smith since 1987, and is acknowledged as the foremost authority on his remarkable life.

Sally Nilsson will be signing her book “The Man Who Sank Titanic: The Troubled Life of Quartermaster Robert Hichens” – Sally Nilsson is the Great Granddaughter of Robert Hichens, Quartermaster at the helm when Titanic hit the iceberg, and her book is a biography of this man’s fascinating life.

The book signings will be in the Mayflower Suite lecture room from 2.00pm-3.00pm.

As can be expected due to the nature of this historic event, demand has been unprecedented.

Because 2012 is Titanic’s centenary year and therefore something very special, when we lay the wreaths at the convention we would like to include as many members as possible. In chronological order, we intend to do the following:

Grave of Frederick Fleet

Frederick Fleet was the lookout man who spotted the iceberg, and reported it to the bridge.

Location: Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton.

Date & time: Monday April 9th at 2 pm.

Millvina Dean Memorial

Millvina Dean, who at the time of her death in 2009 was the last living survivor of the Titanic, has a memorial stone at St. Mary’s Church, Copythorne. She was a 9-week old baby at the time of the tragedy and along with her mother and brother, Vere, escaped the sinking liner in Lifeboat 10. She lost her father in the disaster.

Location: St. Mary’s Church, Copythorne, Southampton.

Date & time: Monday April 9th at 3 pm.

Stewards’ Memorial

The Stewards’ memorial was once located on Southampton Common, but can now be found within the ruins of Holy Rood Church in the city centre. Holy Rood Church took a direct hit from a Luftwaffe bomber during the blitz of November 1940. The shell of the church was never repaired and in 1957 was dedicated as a memorial to the sailors of the Merchant Navy. Like the other departments that comprised Titanic’s crew, the heroism and devotion to duty of the stewards will never be forgotten.

Location: Holy Rood Church, High Street, Southampton.

Date & time: Thursday April 12th at 11.00 am.

The Engineers’ Memorial

There were many sacrifices made the night the Titanic went down, but perhaps one of the most enduring and heart wrenching is the story of her engineers. Without any thought for their own safety, these brave men laboured in the engine and boiler rooms, keeping the pumps running, the lights burning brightly and the Marconi wireless operational. Their incredible devotion to duty meant they maintained electrical power on the ship until just a few minutes before the end, sacrificing their lives in the process.

Location: on the north-west corner of Southampton’s East Park, just across the road from the Musicians’ memorial.

Date & time: Thursday April 12th at 11.45 am.

The Musicians’ Memorial

Like Titanic’s engineers, the heroism shown by Wallace Hartley and the other musicians that comprised Titanic’s orchestra is everlasting. When Wallace first assembled his orchestra on the Boat Deck, very probably there seemed little wrong with the great ship, but as time progressed and the slant of the deck became more pronounced, the mood on board would have changed quickly and it would have become obvious that something was terribly wrong. But despite this Wallace and his companions remained professional and although placed in an impossible situation, did their very best to calm and sooth terrified passengers.

Location: Cumberland Place in the city centre, opposite the Engineers’ memorial.

Date & time: Thursday April 12th, immediately after finishing at the Engineers’ memorial.

Titanic Memorial

The Titanic memorial was once in Ocean Dock alongside berth 43/44, but now is located just inside the entrance to Dock Gate 4.

Location: Entrance to Dock Gate 4.

Date & time: Thursday April 12th at 3 pm.

Additional wreaths.

Because this year is the centenary, we are planning to lay additional wreaths over and above those already mentioned. Members will be aware of this after the announcement in the December 2011 issue of the Atlantic Daily Bulletin.

The list that follows is quite extensive, but what we actually end up achieving will depend very much on the cooperation of members. We are therefore inviting people to help us, either financially by making a donation to the society or by helping out with the logistics.

At the present time, we are considering the following:

• Grave of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe’s grave at Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, North Wales.

• Grave of Third Officer Herbert John Pitman MBE at Pitcombe, Somerset.

• Memorial to Wallace Hartley in Colne town centre, Lancashire.

• Memorial to John George (Jack) Phillips at Godalming, Surrey.

• Memorial to William McMaster Murdoch at Dalbeattie, Scotland.

• Grave of J. Bruce Ismay, in Putney Vale Cemetery, London.

• Captain Smith’s statue at Lichfield.

Because these memorials are located in places other than Southampton, any extra wreaths we decide to lay will probably not occur during the time of the convention. We will endeavour to keep members informed, by announcing progress in a future issue of the Atlantic Daily Bulletin and through the website.

Please help us with these additional wreaths so we can make Titanic’s centenary year a very special one!

“Intermezzo String Quartet” which comprises Aiden Berry, along with musicians Becky Jay, Theresa Zar, and Becky Benfield, will be playing music early in the evening and during the Gala Dinner.  They will return later to perform again at our memorial service to play “Nearer thy God to Thee”.

We are delighted to have them join us for this very special occasion.