On a recent visit to Southampton, I visited the Titanic Engineers’ Memorial that is sited in East [Andrews] Park that is dedicated to Joseph Bell the Chief Engineer and his staff, that consisted of 24 engineers, 6 electrical engineers, two boilermakers, a plumber and a clerk who died in the RMS Titanic disaster on the 15th April 1912. Sir Archibald Denny, president of the Institute of Marine Engineers on the 22nd of April 1914, unveiled the bronze and granite memorial. An estimated 100.000 Southampton residents attended the event.
On unveiling the statue, Sir Archibald Denny said: “By the manner of their deaths the Engineers carried out one of the finest traditions of our race”.“They must have known that pumping could do no more than delay the final catastrophe, yet they stuck pluckily to their duty”. “Driven back from boiler-room to boiler-room, fighting for every inch of draught to give time for the launching of the boats, not one of those brave officers was saved”.
Ferdinand Victor Blundstone was the sculptor of the memorial that is a Grade 11 listed building. It features a bronze statue of Nike, the Greek Winged Goddess of Victory, created by Trieste born sculptor Romeo Rathmann, and carvings that represent the engineer officers of the ship who died in the disaster.
The inscription on the Titanic Engineers’ Memorial reads:
Greater Love Hath No Man Than This,
That a Man Lay Down His Life For His Friends
ST. John 15th CH. 13th Verse
TO THE MEMORY OF THE ENGINEER OFFICERS
OF THE R.M.S.TITANIC WHO SHOWED THEIR
HIGH CONCEPTION OF DUTY AND THEIR
HEROISM BY REMAINING AT THEIR POSTS
15TH APRIL 1912
ERECTED BY THEIR FELLOW ENGINEERS AND FRIENDS
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
Images below are carvings from each side of the the bronze statue of Nike
Joseph Bell, Chief Engineer on the R.M.S. Titanic 
November 27, 2013 at 7:14 pm |
This is a wonderful memorial and remains in a prominent location in the City. I am always proud to see it on my frequent visits to town and feel a real affinity here due to my own 40+ years as an engineer at sea.
November 28, 2013 at 7:23 am |
I agree David very much with your comments. It also represents I feel In addition to the Engineers, the large number of crew members who died from the City of Southampton on R M S Titanic in 1912,
November 28, 2013 at 7:19 am |
my dad has written a book about Joseph Bell the Chief Engineer as we believe we are related, you can the book and more over at https://josephbellengineer.wordpress.com
bill
November 28, 2013 at 7:35 am |
Thanks ‘Bill’, I know now that my forebears were neighbours of Joseph Bells family in Farlam, but less sure about any direct family connection to them.
Dad.